Day In, Day Out
by HowDoYouDoop
Summary: In a busy city Uchiha Sasuke is a slave watching the world of the free pass by him. One day a young man stops at his window and strikes up a conversation. Talking is all well and good, but what can this blonde haired, blue eyed stranger do for Sasuke? ((TW:rape))
1. Chapter 1

_What is this? The beginnings of a multi-chap? Long time no see story with no 'complete' status ^3^ _

_Anyways, first attempt at an AU that isn't just some highschool thing. Slave!Sasuke? I think so *evil grin* Because I NEED to torture him. Possibly gonna be interesting :)_

_So yeah, chapter one? Here we go._

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><p><strong>Day In, Day Out<strong>

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At first Sasuke thought he could take it. This life. This life that he was imprisoned within. He thought he could take the cold floor he slept on, the annoying head of the person beside him on his shoulder, the paper thin, dirty as hell clothing. He thought he could even take the occasional beating. All he had to do was be good right? Behave, be quiet and obedient. This option was better than the alternative right? If he wasn't here he'd be on the streets, and not that he actually really spoke to anyone, but he wasn't alone here. At least when it was really cold there was a bit of body heat.

Yes, he'd been terrified when they came after him, chasing him through the town until they wore him down and cuffed his hands… But it wouldn't be so bad right? As long as he did what he was told, both here and wherever he went next, as long as he was good, he could take it. It was bearable.

That's what he thought at first. But then, after just the first days had passed, after seeing the hormonal teenage boys take the helplessly frail girls in the corner of their dim quarters by force, after being taken himself against a wall in the dead of night by the less female-inclined boys, after living on the tiny amounts of food, after watching his wrists grow thin, after feeling his teeth begin to ache… He thought maybe it would be better just to die.

Under the lip of an overhead veranda in the heart of the city, they kept the slaves. The cheap, badly constructed wall to keep them in was coming loose and thinning in places but no person within had the strength to try and escape. No one inside cared anymore. There was no closeness between the slaves. No groups. The days were mostly spent sitting in silence with the door opening once in the morning and a group of girls and boys being dragged by their wooden block bound hands out to the street side to be sold amongst the hustle and bustle of the busy city, and then once more when they threw back the left overs. Sasuke was waiting for his day. Day in, day out he waited but somehow he was never picked. He assumed it was because there were a lot of girls. Girls seemed to be popular. And slower. Easier to catch. But the age of some of them disgusted Sasuke. As if someone that small, with such tiny hands and no strength at all could do any work. But the people who collected up the slaves didn't care. They came after any child alone. It didn't matter if you were dressed nicely, if you spoke like a noble. If you were alone they'd chase you. They barely ever brought in adults. Buyers wanted youngsters who still had their whole life ahead of them. A life of slavery.

That was what Sasuke waited for. He doubted life would get better but without some sort of goal, something to look forward to, he would become like some of the others. The ones who never got up all day. Just sat and never spoke. Or lay and slept all day. The ones past wishing. The ones who no longer cried or scurried for precious food. The ones who unlike Sasuke who simply considered dying being better than this but still wished to leave, _wanted _to die. Nothing mattered to them.

Sasuke spent the vast majority of his time next to one of the narrow barred windows- one of the only sources of light when the doors were closed. At night it was pitch-black. He knelt on the old box crate that the keepers had once bought them rotten apples in and watched the people go by, wandered the stalls in sight with his eyes; the pretty coloured silks that he was sure were fakes, being sold across the road, the weapons, shiny sword upon shiny sword, the jewelry. Thankfully there were no food stalls near enough the slaves' prison that their smells carried too heavily on the wind.

He watched the people. And he waited, and hated life. Life was unfair and painful and above all, waiting for his day to leave this place, to start a new life, to be saved… or to die, was boring. Day after day he sat and watched with the side of his face leant against the edge of where the window had been carved out. He spent so much time there that his eyes had erased the rows of bars from his vision and the scene that he watched everyday was clear and whole.

On this particular day, Sasuke was sitting watching the woman across the road try to sell her fakes to some rich looking man. Her smile was much too wide and the way she desperately pulled one cloth after another in front of the man trying to make a sale made Sasuke hate her. It was hot today too. Sasuke looked away from the street and tipped his head forward to tie his hair in a high ponytail to keep it off his neck. He hated the long hair, it had always been short before he had come here but they wouldn't let him cut it.

When Sasuke turned back to the window the light and the street had been blocked out by someone's obnoxious face.

"Ya know," said the voice of the face filling the window. Big blue eyes blinked and then the person moved back slightly. Light spilled weakly into room. "I always thought you were a girl." Sasuke frowned and was silent for a moment. The other person said nothing else.

"Well excuse me for being a guy," Sasuke snapped, surprising himself that he could actually still speak. It'd been a while.

The person at the window laughed and Sasuke observed that he too was a guy. Blonde hair, tan skin, blue eyes and weird lines stretching across his cheeks.

"Nah, it's just that, I see you sometimes, well every time I come here, looking out the window. You have real pretty eyes and long hair so I thought you were a girl. Sorry about that." Sasuke knelt forward and rested his arms under his chin. The blonde guy was grinning and rubbing the back of his neck like he was embarrassed or something.

_Weirdo… Is he leaving soon or… _

"What's your name?" Sasuke blinked and furrowed his eyebrows. What was with this guy? Who just stops and talks to a slave? Most people didn't even look his way when they passed.

"Sasuke…" he replied slowly.

"I'm Naruto. How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"I see. Me too..." Awkward silence followed. Sasuke watched people pass on either side of Naruto and tried to ignore the blonde watching him with his big blue eyes.

"So how'd you get in there?" asked Naruto and Sasuke's sharp black eyes snapped back to him. He opened his mouth and then shut it. Naruto blinked innocently.

_What kind of question is that?_

Again Naruto blinked. Sasuke decided he'd rather not answer so he replied, "through the door" and Naruto laughed which wasn't really what Sasuke had been aiming for. He mostly just wanted Naruto to leave.

"What I meant is how did you end up in that situation of yours, being a slave and everything," chuckled Naruto and then looked to Sasuke for a proper answer. The raven haired boy lowered his eyes and wrinkled his nose uncomfortably. He could feel Naruto waiting and there was something about how the blonde seemed like he'd just sit without tiring made Sasuke feel like he needed to answer…

"They take anyone…" He began. " Any kid. I mean I'm hardly a kid but they still came after me. They chase you and bring you here… They don't feed you, they don't clean you…" Sasuke's voice was small. He wanted to sound indifferent but couldn't seem to make himself sound anything close. Naruto had leaned forward, taking the light again, to listen, his face very close to Sasuke's. He hummed carelessly under his breath and Sasuke all of a sudden felt angry.

"Not that a young master like you would know anything about it," He spat, pushing his face between the bars and forcing Naruto out. He scowled, hating the way Naruto was dressed. His pretty clothing and the shiny blue gem around his neck. His clean skin and soft looking hair, the healthy flush across his cheeks, the white teeth he showed Sasuke when he grinned, how he stood on the bright, busy side of the bars when Sasuke lived in the filth and darkness. Cold eyes flicked up and down over Naruto's frame. He clenched his jaw and glared but Naruto's face was calm. He looked sad. Sasuke hissed through his teeth and then moved back, falling into the shadows and turning away, coming back to his senses. It wasn't Naruto's fault he was in here.

Naruto stepped up again. Sasuke glanced at him.

"Why are you even here?" growled Sasuke. Naruto said nothing but put one hand between the bars and reached out to Sasuke. Sasuke backed away, wrapping his thin arms around himself.

"What? What do you want? People don't talk to slaves. People don't try to be friendly to slaves. People buy slaves and work slaves. People use slaves. Beat them. Rape them… What is it that you want?" Naruto smiled a little and withdrew his arm. Sasuke heard him dust his hands off on his pants.

"If you're looking out the window I think that you must want someone to talk to you. I'm gonna come back tomorrow Sasuke. I promise" Naruto disappeared from the window and Sasuke sat back down on his crate with his back to the window.

_What the hell…_

_._

_._

Naruto in fact did keep his promise. Sasuke guessed it was about noon when he came back. This time he wore a plain, wide necked, white shirt and black slacks. Sasuke watched him as he approached, an uninterested expression on his face as he took in the mess of blonde hair, the bright blue eyes, the broad shoulders and exposed collar bone. The way his chest didn't seem to cave in on its self like Sasuke's.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Hows it going?"

"How do you think it's going dumbass." Naruto smiled slightly and looked apologetic. Sasuke moved himself into a more comfortable kneeling position and faced Naruto.

"Sorry," he apologized. Sasuke rolled his head to the side on his arms and watched Naruto shift his weight to one leg. Getting comfortable for conversation Sasuke assumed.

"S'ok."

"You tied your hair up again."

"Yeah, it's annoying when it's down. Makes my neck all sweaty…"

"Hmm… I think makes you look more girly, the way it looks all layered and spiky at the top of the ponytail." Sasuke thinned his eyes against the sun, Naruto's figure stretching out across his eyelashes.

"Whatever." Naruto was smiling at him.

"You look like a cat like that." Sasuke grunted, opened his eyes properly and watched Naruto's bright blues drift sideways and he stepped out to see around the corner where they were selling today's lots. They could hear the auctioneer calling the bids. This one seemed to be going for quite the high price. Sasuke picked it as the teenage girl with the huge chest they had hauled out this morning. He remembered how some of the older boys who still had some sort of appetite for that kind of thing had pounced on her. She probably wouldn't go to a situation much better by the look of her and the sound of her auction.

"So when do you think that'll be you?" Naruto's question was soft and his eyes were sad when they meet gaze again. Sasuke swallowed and the blonde continued, his eyes on Sasuke. "You might go somewhere better than this right? To some nice house on the hillside. But you've gotta be twice as pretty as that girl out there… The buyers look like they want a slave for more than just cleaning… Who knows what could happen to you if you're sold. Maybe it would be better to stay put…" When Naruto was finished talking he was still looking through at the boy behind the bars. Sasuke broke away first and then shrugged.

"_They_ decide when it's my turn to be out there but I think they think that I've still got some life in me since I still get up and go get food at the door and actually get up to come over here everyday so they don't want to put me out in case I'm rebellious… As for whether it will be better… I think it'd be much the same anywhere…" Sasuke felt Naruto tense. The raven smiled miserably and turned back to the blonde.

"What? You thought that sort of thing didn't happen inside here too? You think that we all just go to sleep at night. You think all the boys leave all the girls alone? As if. Some days I can't sit down. I stand the whole day."

Naruto's mouth fell slack, his eyes widening at what Sasuke implied but wouldn't directly say.

"Sasuke… Why do you…-"

"Why do I what?" Sasuke said calmly cutting through Naruto's words. "Let them? I don't have a choice. Why do I not fend them off? I can't. I'm a slave. I don't have a choice in anything. I _live _to serve. This my life. This is-" This time it was Sasuke's turn to be cut off. Naruto's hands shot through the bars and grabbed Sasuke by the collar, jerking him forward, the motion driving splinters from the crate under his knees into his flesh. The thin tunic he was wearing rode up as Naruto dragged him in close. Sasuke yelped and tried to pull it down at the back as it exposed him naked to his hips.

"Oi! What are you doing? Let go you moron!" hissed Sasuke angrily. They were nose to nose. Naruto looked hurt and Sasuke wanted to hit him. It wasn't him who was getting it was it? So what was with that face?

"Sasuke, listen to me. You have to tell the keepers, the guards what's going on in there! I'll tell them! You, the girls, other boys, no one should have that done to them!" Sasuke struggled and dug his long broken fingernails into Naruto's hands.

"Let go! The keepers don't care! They don't give a damn what happens to us! Let go damnit!" Naruto loosened his grip slightly and Sasuke tore himself free and stumbled back. His grazed knees were bleeding and the raven cursed the stupid idiot. How long would something so simple take to heal on him? And infection? The risk of infection through even the tiniest of wounds in there was ridiculously high.

Idiot!

"What the hell?" snarled Sasuke taking small steps forward again to address Naruto and readjusting his clothing, glancing around the room. Two boys in the corner were watching him, three girls along the back wall. Sasuke climbed up onto the crate and stuck his nose between the bars. Naruto came close again.

"What the hell was that about? Normal people don't grab people like that!"

"Sorry. I just didn't like hearing that… I don't like seeing bad things happen to my friends." Said Naruto. His fingertips butterflied the back of Sasuke's hand where it held the base of the window ledge.

"We're not friends and you haven't seen anything," muttered Sasuke moving his hand away but Naruto carried on like he hadn't spoken.

"Is there really nothing we…" Sasuke turned his mouth down at the way Naruto spoke of the two of them, yesterday strangers, as a collective unit. "…can do Sasuke? There has to be some kind of decent person around? Don't they keep watch on you or something to make sure nothing happens?"

"Of course not. I told you, they don't care." Naruto drew back. Sasuke took the time to examine where his chest had smacked against the wall for bruises and consider why he was actually engaging in some kind of conversation with someone as irritating, horrendously impulsive and loud mouthed as Naruto.

"Na, Sasuke." Sasuke didn't answer when Naruto called him. He wasn't sure he wanted to talk to the blonde but didn't move away from the window. He played absently with the fluffy, spiky bit to his ponytail that Naruto had commented on.

"Sasuke," he called again. Sasuke looked up. Naruto had his hands through the bars again. "Show me your hands." Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"What interest do my hands have to you…"

"Can I see them or not?" Naruto's face was serious.

Sasuke hesitantly put his hands up, palms out, in front of him and Naruto reached out and took one gently in his slightly larger, warm hand. He guided it carefully between the bars and pulled Sasuke's arm into the light to his elbow. His skin was painfully pale. Sasuke shuffled uneasily as Naruto breathed in loudly through his nose and encircled Sasuke's wrist with his fingers. There was room to spare.

"So small…" murmured Naruto squeezing lightly and rubbing at his heartbeat. "Too small…"

He then let go of Sasuke's wrist and spread his white hand out flat with his, running his thumb over the ragged edges of Sasuke's long fingernails.

"How much do they feed you?"

"…Not a lot. Just enough…" Naruto nodded and Sasuke's eyes skirted off to one side, unnerved by the blonde's serious face.

"Look. This is scary." Naruto held his wrist up next to Sasuke's and the difference in size was frightening. Naruto's looked huge, his skin a warm creamy brown colour. Healthy. When he rolled up his sleeves his arm was free of bruises and clean. Sasuke's arm was a strange, almost grey sort of colour.

"Ok that's enough," said Sasuke abruptly and pulled his arm back in, holding the limb against him and rubbing the skin that Naruto had touched. Naruto leant in as far as he could, gripping the bars.

"Na, Sasuke. We're friends ok?" His loud voice echoed unnaturally inside the walls of the slave quarters. Sasuke eyed him from the shadows and wished he'd keep his voice down.

"I'll come back tomorrow ok?" Sasuke said nothing. Naruto nodded to himself, took one last look at Sasuke standing in front of his kneeling crate and was gone.

Sasuke stood for a moment and then moved back to the window looking this way and that but Naruto had already disappeared into the crowd.

"Oi, you." Sasuke turned and recoiled as he saw one of the corner boys standing and coming across the room. Sasuke remembered him coming in last week. He still had good colouring and didn't stumble when he got to his feet. His walk was firm and strong. Sasuke pressed his back against the wall.

"What?" The boy was before him, about head taller and with broad shoulders and thick legs.

"I heard ya talking to that guy. About shit that happens. Does that really happen?" Sasuke ducked his head and drew into himself. He knew, as a man, as a once prideful man, he should stand up straight and not appear frightened. Stand his ground. But the last time he did that he'd been beaten by someone bigger than him. He'd learnt it really was best to do what he was told.

"You know it does. You've heard haven't you?" muttered Sasuke, averting his eyes. The boy took a step forward and put one hand on the wall behind Sasuke's head, the other slinked to Sasuke's bony hip.

"I heard ya talking n' sayin' that you once got it done to you to huh?"

_Not once._

Sasuke batted his hand away but it came right back. He moved out from under it but it followed.

"And…" The hand moved behind Sasuke and skimmed across his back and ghosted over where it rose into his behind, the touch vividly sickening through the thin cloth. "I also saw this." The boy grabbed a handful of Sasuke's flesh and the raven hissed and shoved the other male.

"Back off." But he just came right back. He took Sasuke's face between thumb and finger and forced him to look at him.

"Yeah, you're real cute. Skinny and all but cute. Like a girl. If you don't want ta get it up the ass from just anyone again, how 'bout hooking onta me. We could be a real thing. Then not just anyone could touch you, what was it? Sasuke…" He stroked the side of Sasuke's face with his thumb and the raven shivered at the way he dragged out the S's in his name.

"Thanks but no thanks," replied Sasuke quietly, eyes toward the ground. He felt the boy pause, straighten up, then move away. When Sasuke looked up he shrugged his shoulders and grinned. His eyes were shiny in the shadows and held a cruel glint.

"Your loss…Talk to you later, _Sasuke kun._" He melted into the shadows and Sasuke's breathing picked up and he pressed himself into the wall clutching the neck of his tunic.

Something in his tone had Sasuke's palms sweaty. He didn't show how his stomach twisted on his face but something in that tone…

A promise.

That there was more to come…

Sasuke spent the rest of the day with his knees drawn up to his chest, his tunic tucked between his legs, watching the outside world with only his eyes peeking over the top of the ledge. No one spoke to him. He didn't speak to anyone. He just watched. Long into the night, too on edge to sleep, too scared of what might happen should he sleep without his back up against the wall. So he watched. The empty stalls, the deserted streets. He watched. And waited.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter two and more of Sasuke of the slave variety~ I do so enjoy the idea of him in that short tunic with his lovely white legs showing. But of course he's all skinny and bony and fragile… so maybe not . Poor boy… Healthy Sasuke in a dress shirt? (only...) *waggles eyebrows suggestively*_

_But omg. Naruto is seriously laid back and casual as hell. I can't decide if that's ok. Seme!Naruto is hard!~_

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><p>Naruto came the next day. And the day after that. And the following week after. He came and stood by the window and they talked. Mostly Naruto said something Sasuke found offensive and then backed off and Naruto spent a great deal of time trying to coax him back, or they talked about stupid things. Made comfortable, sometimes strange small talk about nothing.<p>

Sasuke didn't tell Naruto about the boy's offer. He didn't tell him how he hadn't really been sleeping. Naruto asked him if he ate every day and Sasuke told him he ate when he could. He asked what they did about going to the bathroom. Sasuke told him about the bucket that was only sometimes emptied daily. He asked how long he'd been there and Sasuke said he didn't know. He asked where Sasuke's mother was, his father, siblings? Sasuke replied, "dead" and "gone".

On about Sunday the morning bought fog and a chill. The colder season was coming. Sasuke wished they'd get some sort of warning. This city's seasons never melted into each other.

Naruto came early and asked what on and where Sasuke usually slept. He seemed to have new questions about Sasuke every day or so. He was annoyingly curious and hardly ever dropped a subject before getting something out of it.

Sasuke said the ground, sitting up, lying down; didn't matter. Sometimes with one of the smaller kids in his lap to keep them both warm when it was cold.

"I'll bring you a blanket! And food!" said Naruto. Sasuke sighed.

"You can't do that."

"Why?"

"Because."

Naruto threaded his scarf through the bars and around Sasuke's neck so they shared it and ruffled the dew from Sasuke's hair. Sasuke pushed his hands away and ran his fingers through his wet hair himself but didn't snap at Naruto for touching him unnecessarily. He was used to the blonde by now. In the short time they had known each other he'd come to know how physical Naruto was. He shook the hands of every person he knew who walked by (disregarding what anyone might think of him being seen chatting with a slave), let playful children slap his hand as the passed, toyed with Sasuke's hair when he came early in the morning or later at night when Sasuke was tired and sometimes barely awake. He was also incredibly protective of people he 'cared about'. Sasuke had noticed the way he eyed some of the other slaves watching their exchange with blank faces and empty stares over Sasuke's shoulders. Because Sasuke was 'a precious person'.

The week or so felt like forever. There were already insults turned nicknames between them.

"You slept by the window last night? And really why not? Aside from the fact that you like to deny just about everything I say." Naruto snuggled his mouth into the scarf.

"Yes I did. And because you just can't Dobe. We're not allowed luxuries. I'd probably get beaten for your kind intentions." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Plus, if you bought one for me, you'd have to bring one for everyone. If you're gonna bring one at all, bring it for the little kids. They need it more," explained Sasuke. Naruto pouted.

"Not to sound heartless but I kinda only wanna look after the slave I know." He looked past Sasuke to where the rest of the group was huddled together. Most still asleep, some in the position they'd be in all day.

"They all look so miserable," commented Naruto and Sasuke immediately started, anger flaring under his ribcage as he pulled up from the window and effectively strangled Naruto with the scarf.

"Hey! You-!"

"'They all look so miserable'? No shit, if you haven't noticed, we're slaves Naruto. We live here, look in here, see that?" Sasuke gestured wildly. "No nothing. Just us here. We don't leave and go sleep in a bed after you leave. We're here, all day, every day! There's a reason they're all miserable! I'm pretty close to being certain that being _dead _is better than this!" Flashes of beatings over nothing, rape, the shivering that night times bought, the infected sores and death crossed Sasuke's vision. He grit his teeth.

"And you think you can just come over here and be all casual with me? Be friends with me and talk like nothing even matters? Say whatever you damn well want! You don't know shit!"

Sasuke was panting by the end of his little outburst and Naruto was quiet, his face jammed against the bars and holding the strained scarf away from his windpipe. Sasuke composed himself and then knelt back down on his crate and let Naruto stand up but didn't look at him.

"At least talking to someone as stupid as me takes your mind of it…" muttered Naruto. "I know it's hard, but I don't know _how _hard it is. I'm trying to help." Sasuke opened his mouth to say more but at that moment the food was pushed through the flap at the bottom of the door and Sasuke quickly unwound himself from the scarf and raced to get some before it was all gone. When he came back, Naruto watched him pick up his food with his hands and chew it slowly.

"What is that?" he asked carefully. Sasuke looked at him sideways and considered the other boy for a moment, scowling darkly. Thinking about ignoring him.

"I'm worried about you Sasuke," said Naruto and Sasuke's frown eased. He shrugged, holding the dirty bowl out for Naruto to sniff at. It was amazing how easily they reverted back to being friendly, even after Sasuke attacked him in his hissy little whispers. Naruto's casual manner and forgiving nature was always contagious.

"And you eat this crap Teme?"

"It's this or nothing," replied Sasuke softly. Naruto hummed back, winding the scarf around his hands.

"Sasuke." Sasuke looked up mid-chew, a tiny mouthful rolling around on his tongue and over his sore teeth. Naruto was standing back from the window. Sasuke's eyes wandered to the boy's collar bone again. He was so healthy, his skin glowing. It sort of made Sasuke want to touch it.

"Sasuke I'm gonna come back tomorrow," said Naruto as he did every day, like if he didn't say it, it wouldn't happen. So Sasuke knew what the next day held... Or something.

Sasuke put his empty bowl on the floor and leant out the window, his arms hanging out to the elbow. In the same way Sasuke's eyes were drawn to places on Naruto's body, his arms, his collar, the unshadowed skin beneath his eyes; all healthy and beautiful, Naruto's eyes came to Sasuke's wrists and arms and then back to meet Sasuke.

"I'll come back tomorrow and bring you something nice. I'm gonna help you Sasuke, don't forget to be here tomorrow too."

"As if I have anywhere else to go Usuratonkachi," said Sasuke flatly. Naruto turned and spoke over his shoulder.

"Don't get sold okay?"

"I won't, I won't." Sasuke waved him off and watched him go once again.

Naruto was really weird Sasuke decided. How easily he had picked Sasuke up. Sasuke had always thought of himself being pretty unapproachable and was aware of how in the past he'd always come off as unfriendly and distant. But that didn't seem to be a problem for Naruto. They didn't even fall into step at all most of the time, their personalities and situations so very different. But at the same time they sort of did, somehow keeping up conversation, or rather Naruto kept up conversation and Sasuke didn't find it unbearable, occasionally commenting. Which had Sasuke wondering.

Just who was Naruto? They barely knew each other. All they knew was who they were at the window. Sasuke didn't even know his last name. What kind of family did he come from? How did he live? Siblings? Why did he have so much time to come and give to Sasuke? Didn't he have responsibilities?

As Sasuke knelt with his head on his arms, resting on the ledge of the carved out window feeling sleepy and lazy he thought, maybe it didn't matter. Just like Naruto had said, the conversations they had at least distracted him from life for the time that the blonde stood before him, chatting aimlessly. With a life like this, what more could a slave ask for?

.

.

Naruto came at the normal time the next day, a little before noon. Or so Sasuke guessed. He carried with him a container of water in one hand and an apple in the other.

Sasuke was tired and feeling weak from lack of sleep and the usual shortage of food. Sasuke kept his head on his arms, his mouth hidden in elbow, breathing out warm air that swirled around the nest his arms made and up to his face. He had his hair down and had arranged it evenly around the back of his neck in a feeble attempt to try and keep himself warm. Sasuke wished his hair was thicker, grew in more together kind of tresses. Like Naruto's.

"Hey there." Sasuke 'mmmm'ed in reply.

"I bought you something," said Naruto taking a bite of his apple. Sasuke lifted his head at the sound of the crisp noise the action made. It had been a long time since someone had stood before him and eaten. The last time he could recall was some insolent little bastard taunting him. But Naruto came close to the bars, holding the piece of apple that Sasuke could see through his parted just so lips, on his tongue behind his teeth. The dark haired slave leaned forward a bit, eyes trained on the wet juice on Naruto's mouth.

"Don't tease me…" groaned Sasuke softly, pushing his forehead against a bar and squeezing his eyes shut.

"'M 'ot. Lets twy somesing." Naruto touched his nose against Sasuke's giving the boy a fright, surprised with how close Naruto was.

"Dake it," said Naruto, his words dulled and misformed by the piece of apple. Sasuke licked his lips and looked up to meet Naruto's eyes to make sure he was serious.

"You'll get in trouble if they catch you. It's like a zoo here Naruto. 'Don't feed the animals'. They aren't nice people Naruto," whispered Sasuke. He lifted his hands to hold the bars, hoping to block the view of their mouths from any other slave who might be watching. Naruto rolled his eyes, dismissing the danger, and turned his head slightly, eyes lidding as he lowered his gaze to find where Sasuke's mouth was. Sasuke's heartbeat picked up in anticipation and he turned his head the opposite way and watched Naruto push the apple between his teeth.

"'Ere we gow…"

Their lips bumped together once and Sasuke, startled by the warmth of Naruto's breath and his scent so close, tried to pull back but was bought back by Naruto's hands taking hold of him at the neck and jaw line, fingers tangling in long dark hair.

"'S ok," he murmured nudging at Sasuke's lips again. "C'mere." Again they touched, Naruto pulling them closer and closer as Sasuke leant back in his hands, unsure he was comfortable with the contact. Tiny little blows, slowly getting firmer and firmer until Naruto pulled the piece of apple back behind his teeth and pressed their mouths fully together letting Sasuke taste the juice around Naruto's mouth. He squeezed his eyes shut in yearning. They parted and Sasuke's face felt flushed. Naruto's eyes were half closed and his cheeks slightly pink. Sasuke realized what it looked like and what they technically had just done but the taste…

Tentatively he licked at the blonde's lips and felt Naruto smile when he moaned quietly as the fresh apple taste, highlighted by the cold air flowing between them, exploded on his tongue. Sasuke's white knuckled grip on the window bars came loose and he reached for Naruto's face, holding him steady as he licked at the corners of his mouth, across his full bottom lip. And then, lost in the taste of apple juice, Sasuke's lips met Naruto's again. This time Naruto's mouth was open. Taking the hint, Sasuke's lips parted and his tongue ventured forward. Naruto's tongue was there too, pushing the apple toward Sasuke and the raven nearly broke away as their tongues rubbed together in the process and he felt something strange jump up in his stomach. But Naruto held him firm as the piece of apple was transferred from mouth to mouth.

As soon as the apple was safely behind Sasuke's teeth, the raven pulled away and withdrew his face a reasonable distance from bars. Naruto was wiping his mouth and Sasuke simply knelt. The intense flavor of the apple forgotten for a moment.

_Did I just do that? Mouth to mouth feeding that most definitely was a lot like kissing! With a guy?_

Naruto looked over.

"Aren't you gonna eat it?" he asked, observing Sasuke's lack of jaw movement. Sasuke stared stupidly for a moment before the tiny little laugh Naruto did through his nose made him start to try and eat his present. But Sasuke's teeth began to ache as soon as he tried to chew. The apple, despite the heat of their mouths, was still hard and crisp and Sasuke couldn't bite through it without his jaw flaring into pain.

"What's wrong? Don't like apples?"

With a mouthful Sasuke shook his head and pointed to his jaw, making a face.

"It hurts?" Sasuke nodded, moving back to the window.

"I'm not surprised with what you usually eat. Anyway, pass it back then and I'll chew it for you," suggested Naruto in a whisper, aware they shouldn't be doing this, and Sasuke drew back, revolted at the idea of mushy, pre-chewed apple. Naruto bit back a laugh and raised his eyebrows.

"It's this or nothing right? Even if it's gross, it's food."

Sasuke couldn't argue with that.

This time the transfer was fairly quick. Sasuke tried to avoid touching Naruto's tongue with his as much as possible -every time it did happen his stomach did a funny little jump- but since they were going back the other way this time, Naruto's tongue was briefly in Sasuke's mouth and Sasuke struggled not to react when the intrusion flicked across the roof of his mouth.

There was silence while Naruto chewed up the apple and Sasuke averted his eyes, rubbing his messy mouth with the back of his hand. When he was done Naruto could still talk properly.

"You better be grateful for this Sasuke. I don't usually chew up apple and feed other people via makeout," he said with a wink and Sasuke felt himself blush, bristling embarrassedly.

"We're not making out!" Naruto grinned even though red was creeping around his ears and across his nose too.

"We kinda are. Tongues and all. It's pretty funny." Sasuke scowled and Naruto's grin widened. "Alright get over here; I keep swallowing little bits every time I talk."

Sasuke leant in and Naruto reached through the gap next door to where their faces were and held Sasuke's neck, thumb at his cheek, pulling them together, mouths open and eyes closed, Sasuke's tongue slipping inside Naruto's mouth to gather up the chewed bits of apple. This time their tongues rubbed together even more and a groan rumbled out from the back of Naruto's throat. Sasuke ignored it and tried to keep himself quiet as Naruto's tongue slid under his to give way for Sasuke's feeding.

When they broke away Sasuke swallowed the last of the mush, not really minding the mushy texture, and dropped his eyes to the floor. He was still getting over how Naruto had actually verbally made the connection between their secret feeding method and 'making out'.

"Ya know," said Naruto. Sasuke could feel something bad coming. Just like the last time Naruto had started with 'ya know' and told Sasuke he had thought he was a girl.

"Even though I was just giving you food…" Sasuke lifted his face, wide eyes.

_He's not really going to say that is he?_

"That felt pretty nice…" Sasuke's face exploded in heat and he immediately turned his face away, spluttering, "d-do you have to be so honest all the time?". In response, Naruto pointed a finger at him and sniggered, "so you thought it felt it good too?"

"As if Dobe!" Sasuke tried gathered his composure. "With such an unskillful technique how could it ever?"

Naruto kept laughing to himself as he unscrewed the top of his water container.

"Well in any case, this one won't be quite as full on." Sasuke quirked an eyebrow.

"Can I interest you in some water my good man?" Naruto inquired with a stupid bow and then took a long swig from his water as he straightened. He pushed his face, lips puckered, closed tight so no water could escape between the bars. Sasuke felt ridiculous making a mirror image of Naruto, but water was precious. They were only given so much and mostly Sasuke didn't get much of a share.

When their mouths were pushed firmly together, Naruto let his lips give a little and Sasuke did the same when he felt the wetness against his lips. Water flowed through their passage and into Sasuke's mouth. He braced his tongue against the back of his throat so he wouldn't choke as Naruto's hands found his face and lifted it, pushing Sasuke down so that he sat on the crate between his bent knees as Naruto angled to empty the water into Sasuke's mouth.

They parted with Naruto making an unnecessary 'mwah!~' noise and Sasuke closing his eyes, letting the last of the water dribble slowly down his throat. When he opened his eyes Naruto was looking at him with that look he always had when he was about to ask a question.

"Na, Sasuke, I know it's just to feed and water you, but… do you actually like guys? I mean I know whats happened to you and everything so I bet that's put you off but… you're pretty ok with this, I mean you didn't even question it when I suggested it…The water one isn't too bad but actually feeding you is sort of… Well I said it before, that's it pretty much like making out… with another man.." Naruto blushed lightly and smiled awkwardly. Sasuke blinked and didn't answer for a while, turning and scanning the slave quarters, eye resting momentarily on the big male in the corner. This place was like nowhere else in the city. There were no rules and no one cared about anyone else. In this situation you were long past that.

"In this sort of place, your sexual orientation means nothing," Sasuke replied, looking at Naruto.

Unlike before, Sasuke didn't smile cruelly or mock Naruto. They held each other's gaze for a minute until Naruto spoke, reaching out to touch Sasuke's cheek with his knuckles. He dragged one side of his mouth up in a half smile.

"Don't let them bully you, Teme." Sasuke rolled his eyes at the childish way Naruto chose to address the issue but said nothing. He didn't get mad this time. Because he knew Naruto didn't mean anything by it. Because he knew Naruto didn't understand so he blew it off. And Sasuke was happy Naruto didn't understand. No one should ever have to understand...

"Well if you don't mind it I can keep going too. Want some more apple?" asked Naruto making heat leap to Sasuke's cheeks.

"I think I'll have some more water first…"

"Heh, mkay."

* * *

><p><em>For anyone who can't understand Naruto with apple in his mouth:<em>

"_I'm not. Let's try something."_

"_Take it."_

"_Here we go."_


	3. Chapter 3

_WARNING: This chapter does contain rape. Like not just Sasuke referring to it so yeah. Warning. Not very well written coz sexualness of any kind never seems to work for me... But aside from that, Happy Easter!~ I've seriously eaten waaaay too much chocolate lol._

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><p>The feeding continued into Naruto's next few visits too. He bought various food with him; soft bread that Sasuke could eat on his own, more apple, oranges, tomatoes that Sasuke really liked but were generally to messy to eat and sometimes the occasional sweet that Naruto happened to have been sucking on on his way there. Sasuke was pretty much used to the method now and didn't really mind when his tongue touched Naruto's. He'd learnt to ignore the unsettledness in his stomach and the heat that prickled at his skin, even if Naruto rarely did the same and often made noises. But the food was worth it and Sasuke had to admit, it did sometimes feel good, even if it was weird to think of it that way. It's not like they could help how it felt…<p>

Finally one day, one of the guards leaning lazily against the wall noticed Naruto and stopped him just before Sasuke's window.

"You're around here quite a bit aren't ya bud?" said the guard, the inquiry sounding more like an accusation. Sasuke shuffled along to the next window on the wall, in front of where the conversation was taking place. His heart began hammering painfully inside his chest. If Naruto, in his cherry naiveté told the guard that he was friends with one of the slaves and that's why he was here so much Sasuke was sure they would chase him away and punish Sasuke.

But oddly enough it wasn't the beating he might get that Sasuke was uneasy about. What he was worried about was Naruto never coming back. Because Naruto's visits, no matter how annoying or sometimes accidentally offensive the blonde was, Naruto's visits had come to be the reason he kept getting up in the morning. They had him sleeping by the window waiting for the sun, waiting for when he'd see Naruto, all tan and tall, emerge from the busy crowd.

They made him feel alive.

To be able to talk and laugh and smile or smirk. He never had that inside the cell. The closest thing was pain. Only at the window did he find that _something, _that life. The window to the outside, to freedom. That spot where Naruto stood every day.

He couldn't lose that now that he knew what it was like. He couldn't.

Naruto spoke and Sasuke peeked around the window, terrified he would find Naruto smiling and hear him blurt out the truth. But:

"Is there a problem with me being here?" His face was calm, funny whisker like marks completely straight, not a trace of that Dobe-y smile to be seen. Sasuke held his breath.

"It's not that it just…" The guard was looking Naruto up and down and Sasuke realized he was judging him. Taking in his build and height, his face. Measuring him carefully for suitability.

For slavery. Because children alone, like Naruto was right now, were the usual target.

"It's not that…" murmured the guard distractedly.

"I'm actually thinking about buying a slave," cut in Naruto. "That's why I'm here so much."

The guard's face lit up at the prospect of a potential customer and Sasuke's knees wobbled. He barely even heard the rest of Naruto's exchange with the guard, his heart so loud in his ears that all sounds dulled. There was something about Naruto being _that_ sort of young master and testing someone out.

But really it meant nothing because all Sasuke could hear in his head was:

'_I'm actually thinking about buying a slave."_

Over and over again. Had Naruto meant it? Was it true? He meant Sasuke right?

The guard went back to his post and Naruto carried on to their window. Sasuke moved slowly back.

When he reached the window he gripped the bars and stared out at Naruto without a word. Naruto's features instantly dipped into an anxious frown. His fingertips touched Sasuke's knuckles uncertainly.

"Sasuke? Are you alright? Did something happen?" He stepped forward and Sasuke opened his mouth. When he spoke his words were jittery and quiet.

"Y-you want a slave…? You might buy one…?" A strange kind of anticipation bubbled somewhere in Sasuke's chest. Like he wanted to laugh.

"You might buy one?" breathed Sasuke.

Naruto's frown eased but he looked uncomfortable. He pried Sasuke's fingers from the bar and took one of his hands.

"Sasuke… I…" As soon as he spoke his name Sasuke knew it had been a lie. His body slumped and turned cold.

"It's ok," he said trying to pull his hand from Naruto's and Naruto let him fairly easy. Because he was scared of Sasuke's hands and wrists. Too fragile looking for his liking.

"Sasuke, don't be like that. What you gotta understand is…" Sasuke didn't meet his eyes.

How stupid to think he'd been serious. After all, Naruto had even said it once. That all the conversations were were something to pass the time. Nothing important. At least not to Naruto…

"Sasuke if you look, you'll see. Look here Teme, my clothes. Look here look." Sasuke didn't care but looking when Naruto called him had become something of a habit unless he was consciously ignoring him. Naruto was holding up his sleeves. His face was sad.

"Look, tattered right? All second hand. Nothing like you I understand that, don't get mad. But Sasuke what you have to see is that it's not that I don't _want _you, because I do and I know you're feeling like I don't but, it's not that. It's that I just can't afford you Sasuke. Do you know how much you're worth? I would if I could I promise you." Naruto had dropped his sleeves and reached out to Sasuke who let him pat at his long fringe with his fingertips and dribble his touch over his gaunt cheeks.

"I'm never getting out of here," said Sasuke quietly. Naruto with his arm forced between the bars tried to take Sasuke' hand from where it hung limply at his side but the slave stepped back and only came forward when Naruto withdrew his arm.

"Sasuke…"

Sasuke looked up.

"You're never going to let me go, are you Naruto?"

The blonde looked confused but smiled.

"Of course not… I-" Out of instinct he went to touch Sasuke but again Sasuke stepped back. And forward when it was safe.

"You're never going to leave me alone, are you?" Naruto wasn't smiling now.

"What are you talking about Sasuke? I don't want you to be alone Sasuke. I care about you." Sasuke nodded and sat down on his crate. Naruto leaned in and looked down on him from the window.

"Then I'm never getting out of here," said Sasuke, a weird rattling starting in his ears and a bitter scent filling his nose. "As long as you come here, I'll be… I'll be happy, even if you don't buy me. But as long as you come here I'll live…"

"Sasuke what-" Naruto started but Sasuke cut him off as he eased himself onto the ground, back against the crate.

"And they'll never buy a slave like that."

Closing his eyes and falling heavily onto his side, knees curled up to his chest, Sasuke blocked out Naruto calling his name.

_I'm never getting out of here…_

_._

_._

When Sasuke woke up he didn't know what time it was. All he knew was that he was too scared to open his eyes. He could hear it. He could feel it. Hear and feel him.

The hot, deep breathing of another person very close by. Fingertips along his arm, dropping off onto thigh and creeping up to the hem of his tunic.

Sasuke stayed very still and tried to keep his shaky breath inside his mouth and force it quietly out his nose. If he stayed still what would happen? If he opened his eyes what would happen?

Ah- but it didn't matter really did it?

Naruto flashed across Sasuke's mind and he squeezed his eyes closed tighter, body tensing. An action that didn't go unnoticed.

"Sasuke… I know you're awake. And I know you know you know what I want. So why don't you be a good boy and get up?" whispered a voice against the shell of his ear. Sasuke opened his eyes. The other boy was nothing but a dark shadow kneeling next to him with shiny eyes.

A hand pushed him onto back and Sasuke let it, his soft, skinny body rolling easily beneath rough, calloused fingers.

"Aah, there you are," murmured the bigger male, quickly moving between Sasuke's thighs, his tunic hitched up around his waist. He was already panting. He licked his dry lips and Sasuke watched him without a word. His mind was slow and useless. Even without the words echoing around in his head anymore, Sasuke could still feel the cold disappointment. He didn't care anymore. It didn't matter what happened because if Naruto wasn't going to buy him, this sort of thing would carry on no matter where he went… It was just sex. Technically rape; if he could Sasuke would certainly refuse this… But there was no choice here. So why fight it? If he didn't fight like he always had before, maybe it wouldn't hurt so much afterwards.

His hips were lifted by one big hand at his lower back, the other sliding up under his tunic, over his stomach and chest and hooking over where his neck ran into his shoulders, fingers on either side of Sasuke's slender neck to hold him in place as the boy pressed himself against Sasuke's entrance and groaned loudly as he forced his way in without any hesitation or concern for stretching or preparation. They never did.

Sasuke's fingers dug into the dirty earth beneath them and he turned his face away, gritting his teeth as tears sprung to his eyes. As he was ripped in two. There was a moment of still, the air filled with heavy breathing, quiet whimpering. Sasuke tried desperately to force the pain out of his mind but it was too excruciating to ignore.

And then, a long moan from above as it began.

The heat of the other boy as he began to move in and out, deep and rough, taking Sasuke raw, his thrusts punctuated by the occasional grunt or hiss, made Sasuke's stomach turn. But by now he was used to it. He'd learnt not to scream. There was no point. He should just stay quiet and wait it out.

No one made a move to help. If they were awake they simply watched as the predator held his prey's hips, having abandoned trying to keep it still when it made no move to resist, his head thrown back as he panted and groaned. The small white body lay with hips raised, back arched in agony, legs pried open, toes and fingers making useless little tracks with long unkempt nails in the dirt.

Sasuke's wrist collided painfully with his teeth as he threw it into his mouth and bit down as he was turned on his side, one leg hoisted over a sweaty shoulder, the intrusion inside his body reaching deeper. Pulling him apart.

"M-my name…" rasped the body above him. Sasuke wouldn't look to him, eyes trained on the huddle of shadows in the corner through his eyelashes. The shiny glints of their watching eyes.

"My name… Moritaka…" Sasuke could almost laugh. What did he expect him to do with that name? Call it?

Rain started outside heavy and loud, sprinkling Sasuke's face as it blew in through the window. The raven turned to where the moonlight should have been shining in but there was none. Just darkness. A metal taste filled his mouth and he could feel something that he wasn't sure was blood running along his back.

The movements had become more frantic. Sasuke tried to ignore it; ignore how his long nails were making bloody crescents in his palms, ignore the sight of his thin legs splayed and twisted, his stomach and pelvis rolling in time with the other boy driving into his insides, ignore the tears of pain rolling over the bridge of his nose, ignore the unholy heaving of both their bodies... Ignore how he wanted to resist. Ignore how he wanted to be saved…

'_Moritaka'_ came inside with a deep snarl, riding it out, slamming against Sasuke's body. And then he pulled out and left Sasuke lying on his side, teeth still at his arm, tunic still pushed up around his chest. The back of Sasuke's legs were wet with what he assumed was mostly blood, an intense ache pulsing from navel to knee.

No one got up to help, to comfort, to console. So Sasuke lay on the ground, cheek in the dirt that was slowly becoming mud as the rain and wind picked up.

.

.

Sasuke wasn't sure that it was daytime. From where he was lying the sky looked black. The rain was coming down heavy and the wind was fierce.

Around him, other slaves were talking about the state of their quarters, their voices raised over the raging of the storm outside. There was mud and water everywhere and it would only continue that way. Apparently the guards hadn't come yet. It was the most talk Sasuke had ever heard from them.

Some of the stronger, newer slaves (those still with some decency) had hauled a few of the older slaves, the ones who never got up and never spoke, out of the mud so they wouldn't drown from being face down. No one had come for Sasuke yet. He supposed they were too scared of him. Or of what they'd seen happen to him. Or there was a limit to how much good could happen inside the prison, even in times like these. The water was rising; Sasuke could feel it moving his hair around his ears.

Next to him, the little girl that often slept in his lap was holding his pinky finger with hers. She wasn't looking at him. Sasuke blinked and felt half his face caked in dried muck. She must have at least turned his mouth out of the mud. Sasuke wanted to smile but couldn't. He just watched her. Her, in her soaked tunic that was stuck too closely to her body, her hair plastered to her head, her face a raw pink colour even in the gloom as the wind whipped in and attacked her young skin. Thunder growled outside suddenly and she turned to look at him.

"Isn't that boy coming today?" she asked, raising her shrill voice over the noise. "That one you're always kissing?"

Despite himself, Sasuke felt heat make its way up neck.

"Y-you saw that?" asked Sasuke weakly. She nodded and then looked him over before getting unsteadily to her feet. Sasuke grimaced at her skinny limbs that he knew were so similar to his own.

"I pulled down your top. You're maybe not bleeding anymore. But you moved when I rolled your head and some stuff came out," she told him with a blank face. "You should get up or else you'll drown like him." She pointed to a body across the room that lay face down in a puddle. And then she moved away to stand by the door like the others.

Sasuke lay a bit longer and then started to move. His body screamed with crippling pain but there was nothing he could do about it. Forcing himself up, and blocking out whatever it was that ran down his leg, he made his way onto his crate, crumbling in bruised and bleeding heap next to the window, head bowed with the storm roaring past him through the opening.

Despite everything. Despite knowing that seeing him wouldn't bring any good, Sasuke sat small and aching, to wait.

.

.

"SASUKE! SASUKE! OI! ARE YOU ALRIGHT! SASUKE TEME! WAKE UP!" Sasuke opened his eyes and looked up.

"Sasuke what's going on? Why aren't there any guards here? What do they do with you in this weather?"

Naruto's face was at the bars. Sasuke blinked sleepily and raised himself with difficulty, onto his knees. His limbs had no strength. He felt heavy and achy all over. Naruto backed out slightly so they were nose to nose through the bars. Sasuke looked around to find the rest of the slaves huddled together in a group on the far wall, the only wall that wasn't made of dirt, where the ground was slightly raised. The water was up around their ankles even there.

"Sasuke!" yelled Naruto over the wind and Sasuke turned back slowly, Naruto's name lost under the noise as soon as he spoke it.

"Sasuke, here!" Naruto rummaged into a small bag he had with him and shoved something in his mouth, chewing quickly. While he was chewing he gathered up his sopping wet sleeve as much as he could in his palm and wiped the mud from Sasuke's face.

"C'mere," he ordered and Sasuke obeyed, leaning in. Naruto forced food into his mouth that Sasuke found to be meat. As soon as he swallowed it he could feel it's strength in his body.

"More, I'm guessing since there's no one here that means they're going to let you make your own way through this storm. So you're gonna need it." Naruto tore off another piece of meat and chewed. Sasuke kept his face close and frowned, registering what was happening.

"Why are you out here?" He yelled, closing his eyes in effort to get his voice to carry over the storm. When he opened his eyes Naruto looked angry and Sasuke barely had time to gasp before Naruto's hands shot through the next door gaps and grabbed his face, forcing their mouths together. Closed. This wasn't for food.

When they parted, Naruto withdrew and spat the half chewed meat into his hand to talk.

"You're such a bastard! You wouldn't even talk to me yesterday and now you ask me why I'm here! Fuck Sasuke, I'm not gonna let you die! The truth is I-!" Naruto stopped and shook his head. "There's no time for this sort of thing. I gotta help you before the storm gets even worse and I can't get back to you!" Sasuke's fingers were at his lips but Naruto didn't seem to think the kiss was anything strange. With a determined face, the blonde pushed the meat back in his mouth and finished chewing, pulling Sasuke forward to receive it.

When the meat was done Naruto pushed the whole container of water through the bars and shoved a thick blanket in too before it got too wet.

"There's no guards Sasuke so keep that as long as you can! Don't let anyone else take it from you ok!" Next came three tomatoes and a hunk of the soft bread that Sasuke liked and a pair of wooly socks.

"Sasuke. I have to go. But keep as warm as you can. Even if it's wet on the outside that blanket should be ok," yelled Naruto stepping out and looking around him as part of a stall blew down the road. Sasuke leaned forward and reached his arms out the window, the action flaring a pain in his back and between his hips.

"Naruto!" he called. The blonde turned back and moved in again, pushing his soaking hair out of his eyes.

When he was close enough, Sasuke wrapped his arms around Naruto's shoulders and pulled him against the wall. Not caring how the muddy exterior of the prison would dirty his clothing. Their faces were pressed together at the bars. Cheek to cheek.

"Naruto." The pain pulsated as Sasuke leaned out as far as he could.

"Thank you. Really" Sasuke heard Naruto laugh and try to pull away, thinking Sasuke was done. That he would withdraw in embarrassment after thanking him so sincerely. But Sasuke held tighter, gritting his teeth.

"Naruto," he said squeezing his eyes shut. Even soaking wet he was warm.

"Naruto. Last night he… he… I…" Naruto's hands came up, one at Sasuke's face, the other reaching in to rub Sasuke's back and pausing when he felt how Sasuke's legs were trembling in pain rather than cold.

"I was raped," said Sasuke quietly and there was silence for a moment. And then Naruto spoke, turning his lips into Sasuke's cheek.

"Sasuke…" he murmured near the raven's ear. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry it happened Sasuke. I'm sorry you're in pain. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you." Sasuke pressed his face into Naruto's.

"I didn't even try to protect myself," he said. Naruto's hand at his back fisted into his tunic.

"I'm sorry," he said again and pulled away. Wind whipped in between them and hurled Sasuke's hair in front of his eyes.

"Use what I gave you!" yelled Naruto and stepped into the street. Sasuke could see the water sloshing around his boots.

"I'll come back! I promise!" he cried over the screaming of the storm. Sasuke held his hair back and nodded.

Naruto's yelled something else that Sasuke couldn't hear and then turned and ran up the street and was gone.

Sasuke retreated inside and looked to the group of slaves. No one had raised their head from where it was settled in huddle. Sasuke expected no one would look up to see what he had received. So no one would take it from him. No one would take what Naruto had given him.

Sasuke pulled the socks on, worn slightly in the heel area that came up to his ankle with his small feet, and carefully unfolded the blanket, huddling himself in it, knees against his chest and tomatoes, bread and water placed behind his heels, atop his apple crate. He hooded the blanket over his head, the material dulling some of the deafening storm noise, and folded it around his mouth and nose, closing his eyes.

Being sold or not being sold. Staying here forever. Being raped. Being beaten. Living on nothing.

Sasuke didn't think of any of it.

Sasuke just breathed in and out.

The blanket was damp but warm and smelt like Naruto.

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><p><em>Pretty picture for this chapter by Izaya! Link is on my profile. Go forth~!<em>


	4. Chapter 4

_I did some more nice things for Sasuke! Be proud of me! Maybe one day I'll give up torturing the boys (Sasuke in particular...) But probably not. _

_Anyway, last chapter before my holidays end but hopefully I can keep posting fairly quickly *completely ignores all her homework to work on fic...*_

_Thank you to reviewers, you're all kinds of awesome! *love*_

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><p>"Alright! All of you bastards! Get your asses out the door right now!"<p>

Sasuke's eyes shot opened as the door across the room burst open, clattering against the wall in the strong wind and revealed the hazy outline of three guards in its frame.

_Shit._

They'd finally come for them and Sasuke had fallen asleep pretty soon after Naruto had left, only eating one of the tomatoes and taking a few swigs from the water container, letting himself be lulled to sleep by the comforting smell of Naruto on the blanket.

But it was still dark. There was still time.

People began to move, slaves to their feet and stumbling out the door and guards inside, hauling those cowering in corners or barely conscious, to their feet. Sasuke crammed as much bread in his mouth as he could and pulled the stems out of the tomatoes, devouring each of them in a few huge mouthfuls, the juice dripping down his chin. He washed it down as quickly as he could with the water. His chest hurt afterwards but it was worth it.

A guard was coming his way. He could see him leaning over, probably squinting, and trying to determine if Sasuke was a someone or a something. Sasuke stayed still, unsure what he wanted to happen. The guard straightened up and took a step forward.

"Oi, that means you too Boy," a gruff voice yelled over the battering of the door. "And what the hell is this? Where the fuck did you get a blanket?" Sasuke felt him shake his head angrily and reach out in the dark. Sasuke shrank away but the man took a hold of the front of his jerkin and dragged him onto numb, sleeping feet, cold muddy water sloshing around his shins. The water level had risen ever more while he'd slept.

"Get out there boy or you'll miss the ride. Don't wantcha left in here to die while this place floods." Sasuke could hear the cruel grin in his words and moved along before the man decided to hit him with his club for good measure. His fingers gripped into the damp warmth of Naruto's blanket briefly before the guard tore it from his hand with a 'leave that there'.

On the way out Sasuke nearly tripped over the body of the man the girl had pointed out. At the doorway with the little light coming through, Sasuke could see the outline of five lying face down…

Outside it was like being naked. The thin jerkins gave them nothing and the rain was like needles. In front of the slave quarters was a horse drawn wagon. The slaves were a clump that thinned into a short line near where they would be tossed up into the wagon, most too weak to climb, legs too thin and frail to support the short vertical climb up a small wooden ladder. Sasuke pressed against the edge of their crowd, his teeth chattering so violently it hurt, his knees turned in and his legs pressed together, arms huddled into his chest. The girl next to him pulled on of them free and clung to his arm, leaning her shivering hip against him, trying to create some body heat. A little boy had his face pressed into the stomach of the woman in front of him; she in turn was holding another girl's arm who had her hands clamped between her breasts, taking advantage of the heat there. Others were holding each other too and Sasuke was once again amazed by what good would only come from dire situations. When Sasuke looked down to the girl at his shoulder he found her pink and puffy faced from the brutal rain, staring straight forward. He said nothing.

No one made any attempt to run for freedom. It was too cold and they had no strength. All they could do was stand and obey commands as the guards walked past and smacked at their knees with their short clubs to get them to make a proper line. Most of the verbal orders were lost to the rain until you were closer to the wagon and in some kind of shelter from the storm in the shadow of it. Sasuke wondered if they would all fit. And where they were going.

It was when Sasuke was almost at the wagon that he heard it.

Someone screaming. Only the volume of their voice noticeable. He had no idea what they were calling. Non distinct roaring in the distance.

Sasuke turned his head and lifted his free arm to shield his eyes from the oncoming rain, straining to see through the haze of the heavy rain, the shape of something come tearing down the slope of the road, slipping and tripping occasionally. Sasuke blinked away the water that filmed his vision and rubbed his eyes with his cold arm to unstick his wet eyelashes.

_It can't be…_

The call was made up of one short burst and one long wail. Becoming louder as the shape came closer. Sasuke stepped out as something caught in the weak light. A blue shine that leaped up and down as the shape approached fast.

_It is…_

Another step out and just as Sasuke filled his chest to call back; he heard what it was that was being screamed. His name. Over and over.

"SASUKEEEEEEEEEEE! SASUKEEEEEEEE! SASUKEEEEEEEE!"

"NARUTOOO!"

The oncoming shape gained long legs, sopping wet blonde hair, a shiny blue gem that bounced on a heaving chest. Shocking blue eyes, wide open mouth, stupid whiskers… And as he closed in, outstretched arms.

"SASUKE!"

Sasuke wanted to call back but before he could, all the air was knocked from his chest as Naruto, with no regard for how fragile and thin Sasuke's slave body was, collided with him, his arms slamming onto Sasuke's back in a crushing embrace, their feet, boots and bare feet, stumbling all over the place.

"Sasuke. Sasuke. Sasuke. Sasuke." Naruto's hot, fast whispers were in his ear so loud that Sasuke couldn't hear the angry exclamations from the guards.

"Where… what… My God, you're so thin. God you're small… Sasuke, where are you going? What are you doing?" panted Naruto. Sasuke stood with his arms by his side, terrified of getting lost in the contact and having it all ripped away. He could hear them now. The guards yelling. They would make this stop. This painfully beautiful pounding of his heart. The tremors in his hands, not from the cold but from _this_. From Naruto.

"I-I don't know," he told the blonde. "I don't know where they're going to take us, I…"

_And in this weather, there's no way to know…_

Dread washed through Sasuke as he realized that this could be goodbye. Naruto felt it too. He tightened his grip on Sasuke.

"Sasuke, I promise I-"

They didn't get any further because suddenly a hand grabbed at the neck of Sasuke's jerkin and pulled him away with such force that he lost his footing and fell backwards onto the ground.

"SASUKE!" Naruto leaped forward but another guard caught him and threw him back.

"Get out of here Brat!"

Sasuke sat in the rain and the flooding, rain water continuing down the slope around him. But Naruto, Naruto was on his knees, back on his feet and coming forward.

"I said, get out of here!"

"Where are you taking him!"

This time the guard pointed his club at him.

"That's classified punk and I've had just about enough of you spoiling Princess over there so get the hell out of here and don't come back!"

Naruto's face was twisted into a nasty scowl as he shoved the guard out of the way and reached for Sasuke.

"Get up," Sasuke watched him mouth, soft words lost in the storm. He gripped the blonde's arms and started to get up. His legs shook from trying to support his body.

As he rose, knees half-bent, weight being pulled by Naruto, a dark figure rose behind Naruto, arms swung back at his shoulder, club shiny in the rain.

"NARUTO!"

Sasuke's knees buckled as Naruto fell forward, wet and heavy against him. The both went down.

"NARUTO! NARUTO! OI?" Sasuke shook the other boy by the shoulders but the movement only made his limp body fall sideways onto the ground.

"Naruto! Wake up! Naruto!" Sasuke shook him again and felt something warm. When he drew his hands away they were slick and dark with blood that soon thinned and ran down past his wrists, making tracks on his white arms.

"N-N-Naruto…" Stained hands shook uncontrollably. Looking down he found the rain water dark and cloudy with Naruto's blood too. Sasuke stared with wide eyes at his trembling hands, mouth hanging open, breath ragged and fast.

"N-N- No… Naruto…." A guard hooked his arms under Sasuke's and wrenched him upwards and Sasuke let himself be pulled away from Naruto's body and tossed into the wagon- red hands and stained jerkin.

The rest of the slaves were sitting down the other end. Sasuke stared out into the rain, unable to comprehend what had just happened, hearing the driver give a yell at the horses and watching the dark shape on the ground grow smaller and smaller as they drove away.

"Naruto…"

.

.

_It's over. It's really over this time. This isn't what I wanted at all…_

As they moved further and further out and away from the city, the rain became an even and heavy rhythm on the top of the wagon's thick covering rather than a brutal force that threatened to topple them with every huge burst of violent wind and rain.

_Naruto…_

Sasuke had bitten his nails so much they were bleeding, little red droplets on his fingertips that ran into the dark colour of Naruto's dried blood on his palms.

He didn't know how to think anymore. Naruto was gone. Naruto was lying face down in a puddle. Naruto was…

That was the end of it. That's all Sasuke had- the image Naruto's blood on his hands and the feel of his heavy warm body against Sasuke before the guards had…

The wagon jumped up as they went over a rock and Sasuke steadied himself on his hands and knees. He was shaking. And not from the cold; it was warm inside the wagon with the body heat of so many people. He was trembling, his mouth dry, something he couldn't swallow in his throat.

_Naruto…_

Who was that anyway? Some guy he'd meet, who had spoilt him a bit. Who had pitied him…

Sasuke shook his head and felt dizzy. He'd only liked Naruto because he was someone on the outside who actually talked to him. It was what he did; bring him food and talk to him, that Sasuke liked about Naruto right? It wasn't like he actually like the blonde without any of that…. Right?

The feeding method that made his stomach flutter and bought a flush to his cheeks, the tingling of excitement in his fingers when Naruto smiled, the stupid snuggling with the scarf, the butterfly touches, the hard kiss in the rain not for the purpose of transferring food, the feel of Naruto's warm hands as they had held each other… None of that meant that Sasuke…

_Oh god… Naruto…_

No one looked up when Sasuke doubled over retching and then threw up until he was dry heaving.

He lay down and wiped the tears out of his eyes.

He didn't have the strength to cry. He didn't have the strength to do anything.

_I want to die._

.

.

Sasuke drifted in and out of consciousness for a long time. He didn't want to sleep. He was scared. But he had no strength and the stench of vomit and urine made his eyes water. He just lay.

_Ah- I'm becoming one of them. The ones who don't get up… And this time, Naruto isn't here to save me…_

The rain. He'd never see it the same again.

The rain that had bought Naruto running to feed him, comfort him, hold him. The rain that had forced them to evacuate and had Naruto before him, pulling him to his feet, trying to take him away. The rain that Naruto now lay motionless in.

The rain that-

The wagon suddenly came to stop. Sasuke didn't get up. There was some movement among the slaves, wondering if they were at their destination yet. Sasuke listened to the sound of footsteps on the muddy ground beneath him. And then the yelling of irritated guards.

They were still yelling when another set of feet came toward the back of the wagon.

"LIKE HELL YOU ARE!" One of the guards.

"But we can pay for him. Here. Here's the money, we'll just quickly get him and then you can go." The second voice was lighter and not as loud. Higher. Like a girl. When she spoke Sasuke could hear the squelching mud around the shoes of the approaching person. There was a scratching noise as they ran their hand along the canvas side of the wagon cover. They walked slowly. And then there was the noise of the person letting down the little ladder and climbing them carefully as the guards continued to grumble to the one other visitor.

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke blinked. There was someone at the opening of the wagon. They called his name again quietly.

"Oi, Sasuke you're in there right?" Sasuke lifted his head. "Teme… " said the person softly. They sounded tired. Weak.

Another shadow of a person filled the opening. She had a lantern with her and suddenly the wagon's insides were lit with a warm orange glow and there he was. Eyes all blue like nothing else, funny whiskers and thick blonde hair.

"Naruto…"

"Sasuke!" Naruto tried to climb into the wagon but was pushed aside by the girl with the lantern.

"Hold this, I'll get him." In a jump and a heave she was in the wagon and at Sasuke's side. She didn't say anything as she gently pulled him to his feet, her arms around her waist. Sasuke didn't care who she was. He was looking at Naruto who stepped back as the girl half-dragged Sasuke to the side and slowly maneuvered Sasuke to sit on the edge of the wagon.

"Sasuke…" said Naruto, a small smile lifting his lips. The slave said nothing, just watched the other boy with tired eyes as the blonde opened his arms and reached to lift Sasuke, who couldn't stand on his own, from the wagon. As he leaned forward to be received Sasuke took in the bandages wrapped tightly around Naruto's head and the lingering blood in his hair and on his face.

"You're not dead," Sasuke managed as Naruto's arms came to hold his waist as the girl held his arms, dangling him over the side of the wagon. So careful with his fragile body. Naruto snorted softly through his nose.

"No, I'm not. Head wounds just bleed a lot apparently. Got a monster headache though so don't ya know, go yelling or nothing." Sasuke's legs were wrapped around Naruto's hips and his shoulder near Naruto's mouth. He could feel his warm, slightly labored in effort breath through his tunic. Behind Naruto, the guards had gathered to watch, faces scowling and mean.

"How are you here…?" asked Sasuke as his legs slipped down Naruto's and he came to stand lightly in the cold mud as Naruto turned and pulled of Sasuke's skinny arms over his shoulders, his own arm holding Sasuke up around the waist. The girl was hovering nearby making sure that Naruto who had a head injury didn't collapse and take them both down again.

"Well," grunted Naruto as they took a step forward. The guards cleared a path looking disgruntled. "I think for a while I'm gonna have to get used to not eating a whole lot. I used everything I had to get you out of there."  
>"I see…" said Sasuke, leaning his head to one side.<p>

"Sasuke? Don't go to sleep while we're walking." Sasuke hummed in reply but closed his eyes. A strange tightness in his chest eased and came loose. A feeling of freedom that completely blocked out all his 'this is too good to be true's and 'I'm dreaming's.

"Sasuke? Oi, Sasuke?" He felt himself being turned and strong arms pull him upward.

"Sasuke… I don't have the strength right now to carry you like a princess," growled Naruto even as he lifted Sasuke against his body.

Ordinarily, Sasuke would have never allowed himself to be carried in such a way. It was pathetic, embarrassing that he couldn't do something as simple as carry his own weight. But right now, with the satisfying clink of coins somewhere as the guards walked back to start on their way again, and the same scent that the blanket that had lulled him to sleep once before had, all around him…

He couldn't find enough of whatever he needed to complain.


	5. Chapter 5

_Someone, just kill my history assignment… I hate History... BUT that damn thing is done! (After much procrastination that involved me not doing anything productive; including writing a new chapter, in favor of playing hour upon hour of Mario Kart with my brother.)_

_So here it is! _

_Enjoy :)_

* * *

><p>Sasuke woke again to cool tiling against his bare skin. Opening his eyes and expecting the dim and dark of the slave quarters, he thinned his eyes against the white walls of what appeared to be a small bathroom where he was sitting on the floor in the corner, naked; his jerkin having been stripped off before he was conscious. Naruto was in the corner stripping of his own clothing. Sasuke blinked groggily and tried to pull himself up to sit straight, limbs sleep heavy and awkward.<p>

"Oh- Let me help you there," said Naruto, spotting Sasuke and coming over to straighten him up.

The slave blinked again and rubbed his eyes. Naruto was busying himself with things on a nearby shelf, standing in only his blue underwear. Sasuke self-consciously closed his legs and folded his arms around himself.

"Where am I?" asked Sasuke hoarsely. Naruto looked down and laughed softly.

"My house, my bathroom. I figured you'd like to be properly washed. We can cut your hair later too. I know how you hate it." Sasuke looked around; taking in the huge tank attached to the side of the wall and some sort of nozzle fixed overhead, the drain hole near Sasuke's left pinky toe. He moved it away and closed himself in more tightly, shivering. Uncomfortable in the unfamiliar surroundings and feeling vulnerable with his lack of clothes. When he spoke his voice rumbled unevenly into the clean air.

"What is that?" Again, Naruto laughed as he turned and patted the tank gently and then reached up to fiddle with the nozzle. Sasuke yelped as suddenly hot water fell from above.

"What?"

"It's a shower. Geez, how long have you been in that place for anyways? Although I was pretty amazed when I first got one…" Steam quickly filled the room.

Naruto bobbed down and then settled himself on his knees in front of Sasuke, his blonde hair dampening and sticking to his neck. Sasuke pushed his own long hair out of his eyes and tried to look up to the source of the water.

"I'm gonna clean you up now Sasuke ok?" Naruto was letting water soak through the wash cloth he was holding and then touched Sasuke's ankle, gently taking hold of it and pulling his leg out straight.

"Y-you don't have to!" protested Sasuke but Naruto grinned.  
>"Are you kidding me?" He started to scrub at the dirt at Sasuke's skinny ankles. "You were so out of it that you barely made it two steps before I had to carry you. I must be amazing." A hand coming up to tug at the bandage around his head. "I could carry you even though I have this." Sasuke's eyes drifted around the folds of the bandage. Naruto was cleaning his feet, between his toes. Sasuke just sat and let him.<p>

The steam and warm water… It all seemed like a dream.

"We're gonna clean you up and give you some food and let you rest and you're gonna get healthy Sasuke," said Naruto quietly after a long minute as he slid his hands up Sasuke's slender leg, lifting it so he could clean the underside. Sasuke watched him. The grey film of slavery on his skin came away slowly but surely.

"Is this really real?" Naruto stopped and looked up, his eyes a bright blue, water dripping from his hair and nearly blonde eyelashes. And then he smiled again and went back to work before he spoke.

"It's real. You're free Sasuke. You'll never have to go back there again." Sasuke turned his head to the side.

"Technically I'm not free. I belong to you... But that's a lot better than what I was before." He felt Naruto looking at him, his wash cloth making small circles on the outside of Sasuke's thigh.

"When I thought about buying you, in my head you always stayed here, with me… But just because I bought you… You are free Sasuke. You don't have to stay here if you don't want to."

The raven turned back to the other boy, looking into his whiskered face. Naruto quirked a half smile.

"I want you to stay Sasuke." Heat rushed to Sasuke's cheeks and he snapped his face away again.

"Well, its not like I have anywhere else to go, Dobe…" he muttered. Naruto reached up and pushed a stray lock of hair off Sasuke's forehead and touched his cheek fondly. Sasuke stared pointedly at the wall and pretended he hadn't felt anything. Naruto withdrew, snorting a laugh through his nose and going back to cleaning, making his way down Sasuke's other leg and then giving both Sasuke's legs a final rubdown. Sasuke wiggled his toes and admired how clean he was while Naruto rung the dirty water from the cloth.

The blonde then stretched his arms out above his head, closing his eyes into the sensation and Sasuke's eyes wandered over Naruto's chest, how it puffed out with the action instead of sort of hollowing like Sasuke was sure his did. The water running over his sunny skin was extremely engaging and Sasuke found himself staring, eyes falling down with the tiny waterfalls over Naruto's hardened muscles to his belly button and beyond. Marveling at the healthy glow the boy had. He was beautiful. Sasuke quickly looked away when Naruto reopened his eyes and shuffled forward on his knees.

"Alright, next part!" Naruto's hands took purchase on the tops of Sasuke's knees and then, to Sasuke's horror, pulled his legs open.

"OK so I-"

Sasuke drew a sharp breath through his nose and slammed his legs shut. Naruto narrowly avoided having this fingers crushed, quickly pulling back. The two boys stared at each other with wide eyes. Sasuke backed up and started to fold himself up again. Naruto blinked two times fast and picked up his cloth. In a slow and careful movement, he reached out and he touched Sasuke's knee. Sasuke clenched his teeth.

"I'm not gonna hurt you Sasuke if that's what you're worried about," he said quietly. Sasuke scowled. Naruto smiled slightly.

"I'm a guy too, don't worry about it ok?" The blonde pulled Sasuke's legs open again and Sasuke automatically tried to draw his knees together again but Naruto held them apart, cleaning the inside of Sasuke's thigh.

"It's ok Sasuke."

He moved slowly in small circles and Sasuke began to relax, eventually letting his legs relax and fall to the floor and against the wall.

Sasuke watched Naruto's face as he didn't show any reaction even as he drew in close. And then he stopped, eyebrows arching up and then curious blue eyes coming to meet Sasuke. Sasuke blinked and Naruto pointed between his legs, his finger dangerously close. Sasuke wrinkled his nose and Naruto opened his mouth to speak.

"Hey, will it go up?"

Silence.

Naruto's face was so innocent, his expression so… Sasuke wanted to kick him as again heat flew to his face, his heartbeat pounding painfully loud against his eardrums.

"U-usuratonkachi…" He raised a fist and Naruto scrambled back, sensing danger even though Sasuke didn't have the strength to hit him hard enough to hurt.

"No! That's not what I meant!" Sasuke was glaring something terrible as Naruto waved his hands in front of him, trying to either protect himself or stress the fact that his meaning was something different.

"No, that's not it." Naruto rubbed the back of his neck nervously and Sasuke eyed him skeptically and started to close his legs again. Naruto leapt forward and caught them before Sasuke could undo his hard work.

"What I mean is… not right now…" said Naruto, picking up the cloth. Sasuke flinched when it touched him but soon got used to it again. Naruto was silent until Sasuke opened his legs again.

"What I mean is, do you think that you still can? After everything you've been through?"

There was a quiet moment where Sasuke watched Naruto watching him. He wasn't sure what to say. He wanted to tell Naruto that he'd never been touched properly, tenderly… So he didn't know, but he couldn't speak. His lips parted for words but nothing happened. He knew he was making a weird face but he couldn't help it. Why couldn't he speak?

He barely even registered Naruto's blue eyes fill with understanding, him coming closer, their bodies making contact, Naruto's hands on either side of him.

Naruto's mouth was warm and wet, his lips soft, pressing at the corner of Sasuke's mouth and then his teeth grazing Sasuke's bottom lip. Mouths opened and breath mingled. Naruto held his face and when they broke apart the blonde touched lips to his jaw and trailed fingertips down the center of Sasuke's body. He stayed close, resting his forehead on the wall behind Sasuke. Sasuke stared past his shoulder, eyes on the abandoned wash cloth.

"Why do you keep doing that?" asked Sasuke. Naruto pulled up to look at him.

"Do you not understand what that means?" Sasuke looked momentarily offended and bit back with "of course I do, Moron." But then stopped to think and eventually shook his head.

"I know what it is, but why?" Naruto sat back.

"Do you mind it?"

"Not really. I mean with the food I'm used to it…"

"Do you like it?"

Sasuke considered his words.

"I... don't know. I don't dislike it..." Naruto waited but Sasuke didn't say anymore so he picked up the cloth and continued cleaning Sasuke from the waist up.

"You'll stay here Sasuke?" he asked.

"I thought I already said that. Don't you listen?"

Naruto asked him to turn around.

"I'm glad…"

Sasuke closed his eyes as Naruto washed his back, the circles he made firm and made Sasuke feel weak as Naruto worked, lathering onto his skin and into his hair, some sort of soap that ran over his shoulders and down onto his legs. The blonde ended up having to hold Sasuke in place with a hand against his chest to stop him from rocking forwards with the motion of the circles.

When they were done they dressed, Naruto helping Sasuke tread his feet through the holes of a pair of Naruto's pants and buttoning the buttons on the raven's shirt.

And then they stood and Naruto turned to him, standing about half a head over Sasuke.

"I guess we'd better get you some food then. And after we can probably cut your hair. Ok?"

Sasuke shuffled uncomfortably, unsure of what to do in the face of Naruto's bright smile.

_I'm not dreaming… Right?_

_._

_._

Sasuke followed Naruto through what seemed to be a fairly small house. They passed two bedrooms and then entered an open room that flowed into a kitchen. In that kitchen stood a woman with shockingly pink hair. Sasuke stood still near the set table and Naruto carried on forward. The woman turned to show him green eyes and creamy skin. Pretty pink lips that pulled out in an annoyed expression when Naruto said something Sasuke didn't quite catch. She waved a wooden spoon that she was using to stir whatever she was making and then lowered it when Naruto stumbled and briefly touched his newly bandaged head, her face instantly changing to concern. The blonde waved it off and then beckoned Sasuke over as both Naruto and the woman with pot of something in hand, headed to the table.

"Sasuke this is Sakura. She lives here too. She's a nurse," said Naruto once they were seated. The female looked up and met Sasuke's gaze. He nodded in greeting, guarded features and tense muscles. She smiled and told him he looked much better clean and then dished out some sort of soup into each of the male's bowls. Sasuke's portion was considerably smaller and when Naruto complained, Sakura scolded him for not knowing that Sasuke's stomach couldn't handle a full meal right now. Sasuke watched the two.

"Sakura, after dinner can you cut Sasuke's hair?" The girl looked Sasuke's way and he dropped his eyes into his meal.

"Sure… And I don't mean to be rude, I mean I'm happy you got Sasuke out of there Naruto but." Her voice raised slightly in annoyance. "Did you really think this through? You already have me here, although that doesn't really count since all you _were _doing was living off what your parents left you while I bring in the real money, given that's in exchange for letting me stay here… But anyway. Having Sasuke here, I don't know how we're going to get by. You have nothing left of what little you did have and I can't support all of us! I-"

Naruto cut her off with a big smile that made something in Sasuke's stomach go funny.

"We'll work something out Sakura, don't worry about it."

The girl stared at the blonde a full minute before shoulders slumped as she sighed at Naruto's attitude, and then returned with:

"Well where is he going to sleep?" Naruto blinked and then looked at Sasuke. He shuffled his foot under the table and accidentally touched toes with Sasuke.

"With me I guess," he said and Sasuke's face flushed.

Sakura huffed.

"There is one double bed in this house and you _always _get it. What if I want to bring a man home?" she complained. Naruto's voice turned annoyed and offended.

"And what if I do?"

"You already have! That's my point!" exclaimed Sakura, gesturing rudely to Sasuke with her spoon.

The two stared at each other a moment and then broke away, Sakura pouting into her meal and slurping noisily while Naruto looked guilty.

"Sakura… I'll start looking for a job tomorrow. I haven't done anything until now but I'm sure I'll find something." Sakura sighed again and then quirked a tiny smile, lifting her gaze, first to Naruto and then to Sasuke who was sitting, quite in awe of his current situation. Despite the fact that Naruto and Sakura were arguing, here he was, sitting eating proper food…

Sakura put her spoon down and took a better look around the table. A warmth filled the atmosphere.

"We'll work something out. It'll be fine somehow. But the very first thing we have to do is look after our guest-"

"Roommate. And friend," cut in Naruto. Sakura blinked.

"Our friend. The first thing we have to do is look after Sasuke."

Now both pairs of eyes, sea foam green and cobalt blue, were looking to Sasuke. Sakura's smile was soft. Naruto looked overly pleased as always. Sasuke squirmed internally and then bowed his head forward.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused you. Thank you very much for taking me in. I'll do my best to get healthy…" Sasuke could feel the other two's shock at his formalness so he lifted his chin and smirked at Naruto across the table, who out of habit, furrowed his eyebrows, knowing Sasuke was going to say something smart-ass or offensive.

"And help this useless Dobe to pay you, Sakura, back for all the damn trouble it sounds like he's caused you."

Sakura laughed and Naruto kicked Sasuke gently under the table looking half annoyed and exclaiming:

"You make it sound like I'm leeching off her!"

Which sparked a whole new argument about parents being friends and responsibility to look after childhood companions, between the sunshine blonde and pink cherry blossom. Sasuke just sat and listened as the two exchanged banter, grins edging around the corners of their mouths as they pointed spoons and gestured wildly.

He was warm in Naruto's shirt and pants, only slightly too big and couldn't remember being so contentedly full. His skin and hair was clean and Naruto had asked him to stay here, in this cozy little house, with him. This feeling had to be somewhat close to happy…

When dinner was done with, Sasuke was directed to an old arm chair while Sakura and Naruto cleaned dishes. Sakura then sat him down on a chair and hacked off his long hair, proceeding to thin and trim his fringe and even out unruly hair that ended up sticking up at the back. Naruto ran his hands through it and laughed telling him he looked more like a boy now.

And then Naruto stood before him and smiled at him. Called his name and brushed the hair off him with his hands as he stood and then told him he should rest. The blonde led him down a hallway into a messy bedroom and then tucked him into bed like a child, making him scoot to the wall side so that when Naruto came to sleep later, he wouldn't kick him off the side. He pressed lips to Sasuke's forehead briefly, put out the light and was gone. Sasuke turned on his side and pulled the covers up around his ears.

The muffled voices Sakura and Naruto in the living room and the warmth of the blanket had Sasuke drowsy in seconds. He closed his eyes and breathed in, trying to believe that this was happening.

That he wasn't sleeping on the ground or on his apple crate. That he didn't have to keep an eye on some bigger male across the room. That he'd wake up here, as clean and safe just as he had fallen asleep…

Wasn't it all somehow… too good to be true?

* * *

><p><em>Aaaand anyone who has read 'Bloodstained Breaths' probably knows what a line like that means... <em>


	6. Chapter 6

_Heeeyyy! So here it is! Sasuke's life of freedom~ Let's see what happens… _

_Enjoy!_

* * *

><p>And so began the life of the ex-slave Sasuke.<p>

The days of his first week of freedom passed slowly but quickly at the same time. He spent most of it sitting in an armchair in front of the small fireplace with a blanket over his legs to fight off the cold and a book. Naruto, who wasn't really fulfilling his promise to Sakura to find a job, tended to wait on Sasuke hand and foot and fussed around him when Sasuke tried to get up and do well, anything. The blonde insisted that Sasuke wasn't strong enough (constantly coming back to the fact that a few days prior Sasuke could barely walk on his own) and Sakura, being 'the professional' agreed. So Sasuke sat and was tended to. And in all honesty he couldn't decide whether he really hated it.

In his mind, such an action; relying so completely on someone else was pathetic. Sasuke was just too proud to allow that kind of thing. But Naruto, who did it so whole heartedly and grinned and teased him when he tried to get him to stop… With him it was somehow different.

And when Sasuke wasn't sitting down being pampered, he was sleeping in Naruto's bed; for a few hours on his own, mostly spent waiting for Naruto to come to bed because the Dobe could never get undressed quietly and woke Sasuke up anyway. The remainder of the night either was sleeping back to back with Naruto or curled into each other with their knees touching, sleeping faces close.

He and Naruto did most things together, aside from sleeping. When Sakura worked late Naruto cooked and they ate at the small table together. At first when Sakura picked up more hours and skipped out on dinner, Sasuke thought it might have been awkward for just the two now that they no longer had Sasuke's living conditions to talk about. But it wasn't. Naruto was talkative and they always ended up in conversations that went much longer than the meal. Sometimes Naruto ended up with his plate pushed to the side and his head on his arms, curious eyes looking up at the raven as he educated the blonde idiot on something , Naruto's small smile in place even if Sasuke was contradicting his opinion or lecturing him.

They slept, ate, sat together in the living room in the warmth and Sasuke read and Naruto sat on the floor and watched him or busied himself close by. Later in the week they went on short walks, never too far and did the food shopping for Sakura together.

And every once in a while, Naruto took the book from Sasuke's hands and kissed him. Sometimes soft and quick before he pottered off to do something. Sometimes hard and firm. Something that turned to soft moans in the warm atmosphere. But never did it go any further. Sasuke wasn't quite sure what that meant. Naruto wouldn't give him a straight answer in the shower about the kisses so he tried not to push it. But still…

They did normal things together but they also kissed and snuggled on cold nights. There was something much more. Naruto was the one who was there when he woke from the nightmares that had started after he left the prison, the one who touched his shoulder, his face worried. The one who held him, who massaged the tension in his shoulders to tears and told him it was ok, that it didn't mean he was pathetic.

'_It's not weakness. You cry as a baby right? From as soon as your born. It's a sign that you're alive…It means you're here Sasuke. You were locked away so long that you started not to care what happened to you but now, you have a life, a chance. The idea of losing it is scary I know. But it's ok. You're alive…'_

A kiss to his sweaty forehead. Whispers between terrified panting breaths…

There had to be something much more. Sasuke would _never_ let someone be like that with him.

Naruto…

The one who was unlike anyone he'd ever met.

Naruto who looked after him in a way that should have been horrifically embarrassing but wasn't. Naruto who seemed to know him; knew when he was nervous, when he wanted to be alone, when he wanted the blonde to stay. Naruto who knew what to and not to ask.

Nightmares that he didn't know the details of but gave reassurance against anyway…

It was strange.

But Sasuke didn't hate it.

So one night when Sasuke woke, rain beating against the windows, from his most recent nightmare, tear stained eyes and dry, silent scream mouth, he didn't hesitate to reach for Naruto.

But found nothing.

Sasuke's heartbeat was painful in his temples and his need for the familiar comfort he had come to know was momentarily forgotten as his trembling palms came to rest on unoccupied bed sheet, still warm from Naruto's sleeping body. There was no air. The raven's eyes darted this way and that around the room; a double check. Still nothing.

_Naruto.. Where's Naruto…. I'm in the room right? What's going on! It was a dream! Naruto! Naruto!_

The wind licked at the windows and cold fingers touched Sasuke's back as the chill slunk along his spine. Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut, slowly wrapping still thin arms around his body in slow jerked movements, teeth clenched so hard they ached. He fell sideways, cheek against the still warm bed, the lingering body heat only serving to frighten the boy further. He wanted to scream.

_It was a dream. There is no Naruto. I'm crazy. Oh god, where am I? Naruto…_

He tried to lie still but his labored breathing shuddered through his body; the sound of air rasping over his tongue was too loud in his ears. Thunder rumbled unsettlingly somewhere in the distance as the rain eased off slightly and beneath it Sasuke heard a sound.

Something like a low moan. Or a sob.

Black eyes were shiny and wide in the dark. He held his breath and listened hard.

And again the noise came. And Sasuke's round about, senseless thoughts slowed.

_There's someone else here. Naruto?_

He inched to the edge of the bed and set the pads of his toes on the cool floor, pausing to listen again, fingers gripping the side of the mattress to keep his hands from shaking.

The noise again and Sasuke reassured himself, slowly letting go of his death grip on the mattress and getting unsteadily to his feet. The moment of pure panic had passed but his knees were still wobbly when he reached the doorframe.

In a long white shirt and blue boxer shorts Sasuke made his way down the hallway towards the noise. His hand passed a dip in the wall from when a few nights before Naruto had gotten into the sake and had accidentally dented the wall with his elbow when he stumbled. The raven unclenched his teeth.

_Its real. I'm real._

The tears on his cheeks were dry and tight on his skin.

_I'm alive._

From the bedroom down the hall came the noise. Loud in the house but softened under the rain. Sasuke now recognized it as crying, every once in a while substituted with a mumbled moan of a word or accompanied by a hissing noise that Sasuke heard to be "shhh…" when he came to the door. As he cautiously peeked around the frame, clammy palms slipping on the wood, he saw…

Inside the room, a top the bed, pink hair turned blue in the dark bent over blonde turned grey as she, kneeling among the folds of thick blanket with her hands in his hair, sat with her white underwear showing at the hem of her hitched with her position, sleeping gown, held him; slumped forward, hands clutching the thin material at her back, moaned something low and desperate into the small softness of her chest.

Sasuke could have sworn he made absolutely no noise. He was so shocked he thought he couldn't make a sound, only shake his head in disbelief.

_All this time… All those kisses, all that comfort…_

He didn't think he could make a noise.

But he did. One single gasp before he turned heel and ran from the scene, suddenly the dream and the nasty weather forgotten in the face of this new pain in his chest, the hot sour taste under his tongue.

There was a yell and the just audible sound of one body pushing another aside and then footfalls in the hallway coming after him.

But Sasuke didn't hear it. He ran and pushed through the front door, out into the rain.

No he wasn't dreaming, no he wasn't delusional; making things up in his mind.

But yes, it was all too good to be true.

.

.

.

"Sasuke! Sasuke! Hey wait! You have it wrong! Sasuke! Just wait!"

The yelling tore easily through the lightened rain and into the night after Sasuke, pursuing him relentlessly, but only when the raven, completely out of breath, too weak with his still fragile body to carry on, finally came to a stop just inside the forest that spanned out down the hillside, did he hear it.

The voice yelped as it slipped in the mud but still it kept calling.

"Sasuke! Sasuke!"

It was coming nearer but Sasuke didn't have the energy to get up and run from it. He stayed very still, back to the rain, front to the tree he was, crouched in front of.

"Sasuke!" He'd been spotted. A warm hand on his thin shivery shoulder. "Sasuke, we can't stay out here. Come back to the house." The voice was soft and feminine. She tried to take his arm but he threw her off with strength he didn't know he had, causing her feet to slip from under her. She fell backwards and stared at him with her wide green eyes.

"Sasuke…" He said nothing, just glared back at her, panting so heavily it was painful.

Sakura got to her feet. Behind her the early hours of the morning were lightening the sky with the fore coming of the day. The drumming of rain on the foliage above in a moment of silence between the two.

"Sasuke, come back to the house," she said firmly and went to take his arm again. He moved back. A stick rolled under his heel and then broke. He shook his head.

"I won't." He spoke hoarsely. "I-" His sentence was cut short when he heard voices in the trees.

Voices he was quite sure he knew.

"…it's because the boss said that there are supposed to be kids livin' out here. Like Robin Hood or Peter Pan or some shit. Reckons they'll be hard as hell after going rogue. Good for work ya know. So we gotta come out here in the god damn rain to get 'em while they're all sleeping."

Slave takers.

Sasuke caught Sakura' wrist and dragged her forward, not waiting for her to draw a breath before he slapped his hand over her mouth. She protested, her voice muffled and Sasuke drew her closer to his body, pressing against the tree and staying very still. He hoped his breathing wasn't as loud as it sounded. He hoped the voices weren't as close as they seemed. Sakura was wriggling, trying to pry his fingers away from her face. He wanted to tell her to breathe her through her nose but again the rain was retreating and the sound of the slave takers was so close. He couldn't risk it. He knew it might seem stupid to Sakura if the girl realized what was going on but he knew. He knew that despite how lazy the men's conversation had seemed, they would come after them and they would keep coming till they caught them. They were strong and fast. This was what they were for.

Sasuke held Sakura tighter around the waist and prayed, closing his eyes and biting his lip, hoping for the best.

None of what happened before mattered.

_Please let them pass._

_Please don't find us. _

_Don't find us. Just keep going. _

_Don't-_

"Well well, what do we have here?" Sasuke's eyes shot open to find shiny eyes and shadowy features.

"Shit!"

Sakura screamed against his hand. Instantly Sasuke let go and the girl bolted at the same moment the raven yelled for her to run. One of the hunters cursed and took off, Sakura with a considerable lead. Sasuke however was slower to his feet. As soon as he took off one of the men was hot on his heels.

Through the forest they crashed. Ahead Sasuke saw the flash of Sakura's white gown and long legs as she sprinted, dodging the trees. The other man was after her and gaining. With his body heavier than the girl's he was moving faster on a slope, the weight pulling him forward. But Sasuke had problems of his own. His chest was so tight he couldn't breathe and the only thing carrying him was the momentum gained running downhill. His legs were jelly and unstable beneath him. He was only just getting his feet up enough to jump logs, only just avoiding the thick trees.

Soon.

Soon.

He slipped and fell face first, bouncing in a violent roll down the hill. The slave takers feet were right beside him, waiting for Sasuke to stop to strike. Catching himself belly first on a tree, Sasuke cried out wide eyed and winded at the sound of breaking ribs, head jerking forward in time to see Sakura cast her eyes, bright in the morning light, over her shoulder before wheeling round in a wide arc and sprinting back up the hill toward him.

"No! Ruuuunn!" Sasuke's scream was weak and couldn't stop Sakura. Couldn't stop her legs from failing her as she slowed on the uphill climb. Couldn't stop the yelp that passed her lips as the man behind her leapt out and slammed her face down into the mud.

She was unconscious when the hunter lifted her and tossed her over a wide shoulder. Sasuke felt someone lift him too.

He kicked and screamed and clawed at whatever he could reach, beating fists on the slave takers heaving back, but he couldn't stop them.

Sakura's head bounced against her captors back, eyes closed, hair, gown and skin covered in mud.

Sasuke stopped his beating and watched the man's boots sink into the mud as he walked, tears dripping off the end of his nose.

_What have I done…_


	7. Chapter 7

_Argh! I'm sorry it took so long! At first it was me being lazy and then the groove went a wanderin' and then I had exams and teachers were all "study, go forth into the future!". No, shut up. _

_The me being lazy involved spending copious amounts of time on ebay. I want moneysssss. Commissions anyone? Lol! _

_Anyways, I apologize it's taken so long although I have had lovely comments saying take my time… But do know I felt really bad and I'll do better next time!_

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><p>"It's not your fault," she murmured, words slurred slightly and Sasuke jumped. He didn't know she was awake. As soon as they had been thrown inside he'd gathered her unconscious body in his arms, ignoring the horrific pain of his ribs and dragged her to an unoccupied corner, tenting his knees either side of her as she lay against his chest. He didn't know why he did it. He wasn't sure if 'angry' was the right way to phrase it but he was something at her.<p>

For a while he said nothing, staring straight over her head that rested under his chin and out the huge barred wall windows. It was different here. There was no front wall to this prison, the missing wall replaced by close bars, but somehow it felt more like being trapped here. Sasuke's dark eyes wandered across the morning sun glinting off the bars and then down to where they were sunk deep into the ground. It wasn't like his last slave quarters. There were no thin walls that could probably, with enough motivation, be dug through here. No chance of escape. Slaves were thin but not thin enough to slip through the bars.

Sakura breathed evenly. Sasuke took short shallow breaths to try and lessen the ache of what he assumed were a few broken ribs.

"It wasn't what you thought it was Sasuke," Sakura said softly. Sasuke tensed and wished she'd shut up but she seemed to have the same thing Naruto had where she would wait and wait until he gave some sort of response.

"What was it then?" he asked. There was a long pause making Sasuke want to growl in frustration, thinking she wouldn't answer at all until:

"Naruto has nightmares sometimes." She lifted herself from his chest and turned to face him. Sasuke avoided her eyes. "His parents, when he was little they were killed. In a fox hunting accident. So he has nightmares. Of what I'm not sure. He lived with my family and I for a while and when he woke up from a bad dream the only thing that calmed was being held. He was fond of my father but in the end only a woman could soothe him. He's always kind of unconscious afterwards so I guess he thinks it's his mother."

Sasuke held up a hand for her to stop, cold shame washing through him but she took it in her own two hands and looked into his face.

"You understand right? That it wasn't what you thought? Didn't you hear him? "Mama, mama", like a little boy." The raven shook his head and hid his eyes away in his fringe.

"He never had them when we slept together," Sasuke breathed. Sakura squeezed his hand. He could feel her smile. He felt sick.

"Of course he didn't. I was surprised when he came to my room; he hadn't been having them since he met you. He really likes you. He's different since he met you…" Her last words were soft and suddenly Sasuke realized he was crying.

And Sakura was laughing!

Lifting his face; crumpled and anguished to yell at her, he found her smile soft in the morning sun, green eyes watching him.

"W-what?" he spat, angry at how the words blubbered through uncontrolled tears. His ribs were on fire, free hand grappling into the material of his white turned muddy brown shirt. His legs were cold where they were exposed by the boxers. Sakura let go of his hand and pulled the other from his shirt, bringing fingertips to his ribcage and pressing gently, checking for the bounce back of unbroken bones if there were some.

"He'll come for us Sasuke, don't worry about it," she said as she worked, expression pulling together in a slight frown as she counted the possibility of two cracked ribs.

"Those will heal on their own, I-"

"How do you know? That he'll come," Sasuke wheezed cutting her off. Sakura pulled her hands away, sat back and then looked to him.

"I know where we are so he'll know where we are. He'll find us." Sasuke blinked.

"How do you know where we are? You were knocked out."

"I'm awake now. This is our town." Sakura looked out past the bars as she spoke, trying to calm his breathing and wiping his messy face.

This town was quieter than the last, smaller. Not so many people came past. There also weren't as many slaves here and they were all younger. Sasuke noticed when he'd made a sweep of the inmates, looking for threats. Most were female and asleep at the moment; a warm huddle of soft thin little girl and boy bodies over the other side of the room. The raven wondered absently if any of them were Robin Hood-Peter Pans from the forest that the slave takers had been talking about. Through slowing tears, Sasuke quirked a miserable smile. Of course children weren't going to be 'hard as hell', even living in the forest. He bet the hunters had been disappointed when the little ones had cried and whined and then sunk into useless silence like the children at Sasuke's old place had. He guessed they were ones who fell behind instead of the, if there were any, smarter and tougher leaders that the slave takers would have been after.

"Our town…" he said quietly. Someone walked past and for a moment both Sasuke and Sakura watched the figure stroll away. They paid no attention to him sitting with his tear stained face or her with her scratched up legs and dirty skin. Waltzing straight past the blatant mistreatment of the slaves.

"Yes," replied Sakura and straightened the mud-stiffened hem of her night gown. "You might not have been this far in when you and Naruto went out so it's unfamiliar, but this is the closest town to the house. Naruto used to go all the way to your hometown to see you. He always left really early in the morning and walked. Sometimes he left when it was still dark because he said he liked you when you were like a cat, all smoozy in the morning."

Sasuke blushed heavily and muttered 'big mouth, stupid Dobe' under his breath. Sakura laughed. Sasuke's blushing faded as the obvious sprung to mind.

"Even if Naruto does know what happened, how will he get us?" The question stopped Sakura's laughing and her face fell.

"H-he'll find some way… He's done it before…"

They were silent. Sakura was staring past to the space of wall behind Sasuke's ear, a tiny smile fixed on her face. Sasuke felt a flare of anger as Sakura's laughter echoed around in his head.

"You're annoying, you don't understand at all; talking like you know something. You're too hopeful," he snapped all of a sudden. A door opened and a bucket of stale bread was pushed inside.

"There's not a lot of hope in these places," he said coldly getting to his feet with a quiet wince. Sakura looked up at him, eyes wide at his change of personality. Sasuke stared for a moment and then looked away without saying anything more.

This was the kind of attitude you had to have here. He remembered now.

He remembered the feel of hard ground on soft feet, recalled the same kind of hope that Sakura had that had resided in him for that split second before Naruto had torn it away that day.

Given he eventually had escaped but… It would be different this time. Even if Naruto could find them, he'd said it right?

'_I used everything I had to get you out of there'_

They had to be realistic. Naruto didn't have any money left for them. There was no hope. There were no 'he'll find a way's. No more miracle rescues left for the slaves.

It made him incredibly angry. Furious with the world. It wasn't fair, not only for him but for Sakura who had only followed him blindly in his misunderstanding and had been caught for something so stupid. He was so mad. But he didn't want to show it. He knew it was pointless. Everything in time would seem pointless…

Younger children scuttled away as Sasuke approached. He broke the bread and rolled it between his fingers till it crumbled. Sakura was at his side now, splitting her bread unevenly and handing the larger portion to Sasuke who scowled at it.

"It's yours."

Sakura's face was grim.

"You'll need it more than me." He took it after a moment and then they stood looking at each other. The pink haired girl was about a head shorter than Sasuke and was looking up at him with clear green eyes. Her face and clothing were filthy, her arms looked thin already. Like a slave's. Sasuke broke away first, unsettled by the understanding look in her eye and went to sit back down. Sakura helped him lower himself onto the floor and then she too sat. Together, they looked around, taking in the slave quarters that were now flooded with the day's light.

"They're all so small…" she whispered. The other slaves, children, were sucking on the bread to soften it before eating. None of them seemed to be even remotely interested in the two new additions. They were scrawny and clothed in whatever they had been caught in. No tunics. Their hair was overgrown like Sasuke's used to be, some had scabbed wounds on their legs and arms.

"At least its safe here," replied Sasuke. "That's something." He waved his hand to swat at bug near his face. A spider with long legs crept by his foot.

"What do we do now?" asked Sakura and Sasuke nearly laughed. The day he met Naruto he'd been thinking how bored he was, how he might prefer to die.

Sasuke didn't answer immediately, closing his eyes and settling himself in for a sleep in the sun.

"According to you," he muttered, trying to keep his voice neutral. "We wait."

.

.

.

One day passed.

Two days passed. Sasuke sat alternatively in the sun and shadows, dozing between states of consciousness or following ants make marching lines in and out of the prison with his lidded eyes. Sakura convinced some of the youngsters to let her look at their wounds that turned out to be bites they had scratched without care that had bleed and scabbed, others were skinned knees from falling over weak and scrapping thin, useless skin. She tried to talk to the guards when they came to give them food but they just gave her a hard push and slammed the heavy door in her face.

There weren't any auctions in this town. One of the braver girls told Sakura that slaves purchased here were paid for at a set price. Sakura appeared to have a way with children. By the second night she had them all sleeping in their huddle near where Sasuke and Sakura slept. Sasuke reasoned it was because she was a doctor. She'd know how to charm distrustful children.

They lay with their heads in Sakura's lap, on the stomachs of other children, hugging each other's arms. Sakura slept leant against Sasuke and the raven had to admit it was better this way. He didn't want to admit it but it was comforting. The last time he'd been taken as a slave he had had others sleep next to him, lean against him but when it was someone you knew…

Naruto's friend Sakura.

Sakura who had cut his hair. Sakura who had scolded him. Sakura who had smiled at him and accepted him into her home no matter how much Naruto insisted it was his house and he could have whoever he wanted in it. Sakura who was important to Naruto and at some point, without him noticing, had become important to Sasuke. Sakura who was comfort to Naruto and his nightmares. Sakura who was now comfort to him.

She was warm. And it made him ache because the heat of her body so close made him think of sleeping next to Naruto. He couldn't decide if he hated having her near or not because of it. Because it made him think of Naruto. Miss him…

He thought he'd accepted as soon as he got here that there was no way out. A miracle like what Sakura and Naruto had done for him only came once.

But still.

Sasuke blamed Sakura. Even if Naruto found them he couldn't do a thing… He didn't need to miss someone who was no use to him. But he dreamt of the other boy's touch, the scent of his honeysuckle soap and warm breath. His soft mouth. Of Naruto by his side, Naruto in the rain, Naruto smiling, Naruto cooking, Naruto sleeping, Naruto walking next to him. Of Naruto being near…

Two more days passed.

.

.

.

On the fifth day, Naruto appeared before them. Sasuke was sitting by the bars watching his ants and picking a pimple on his knee when suddenly Naruto's boots were in his line of vision. There was a shout from Sakura who came stumbling to the bars, letting out a high pitched 'Naruto!'. Sasuke looked up and blue locked with black, a nervous jitter jumping to Sasuke's hands as he reached for the support of the bars to pull himself to his feet.

Naruto's eyes were wide as he took in the two of them standing there, dry mud and bare feet.

"I knew it," he breathed. "I KNEW IT!" Both slaves jumped. Sakura looked to Sasuke nervously as Naruto clenched his teeth and snarled.

"I knew you'd be here! I waited! I waited for so long damnit! I thought if I waited you'd come back because I didn't want this! I prayed something else had happened. Something I could- I can't- I don't… Damnit! Just! Fuck!" He pounded a fist with unnatural precision against the boundary bars. His shoulders were quaking with anger and the air felt dangerous. Beside Sasuke, Sakura stood, hands clenched and pressed to her chest, head bowed. Sasuke could understand why. Naruto was always so happy, so carefree. He always had a smile or a stupid line in any situation. And here he was. Like this.

Sasuke stepped forward and touched Naruto's fingers that gripped a bar so hard the knuckles were white. The blonde looked up. His eyes were glossed with tears under a heavy scowl.

He was angry with himself. He'd hated it back then too, being helpless. That time he'd pulled Sasuke up by the front of his tunic. He'd claimed Sasuke so easily as his own. His friend. His…

Sasuke's expression was blank and he spoke quietly. He didn't let his midnight longings colour his words.

"There's nothing you can do so you can leave. You're not doing us any good being here." His eyes drifted to Sakura, avoiding the way Naruto's blue ones narrowed at his tone. "You're hurting her being here. You're scaring her when she believed all this time you'd come here with that stupid grin of yours and say you had something figured out. But you don't and you can't buy our way out so leave us. We're at least safe here. We-"

With eyes fixed on the spot near Sakura's curled toes, unable to look at Naruto, Sasuke didn't see it coming. A heavy, well aimed punch to the face, straight on through the bars. The dark haired boy fell backwards with a yelp, eyes widening and he couldn't help a "What the hell Dobe!" rolling off his tongue.

"Naruto…" Sakura's toes uncurled and her arms were by her sides. Naruto's face was wet with tears, brilliant blue eyes a blue fire blaze.

"Stop talking shit Teme! You piss me off with that 'I'm gonna die in here' attitude! I'm gonna get you guys out! I'll saw through the bars or beat every guard to a pulp. I'll do it even if I die trying, you just wait and see!" His shoulders were raised towards his ears, fingers fisted tightly against his palm and mouth huge, loud and angry, even as the tears came streaming down his whiskered cheeks. He stepped back and pointed at them from the street, expression such an annoying kind of determined.

"Just wait for it ok!"

And with that, the stupid blonde squeezed his eyes tight as if just realizing he was crying, clenched his teeth and turned heel and ran out of sight.

Silence.

Sakura sunk to her knees next to Sasuke and smiled. Her eyes looked like water.

"Gonna bruise," mumbled Sasuke touching his face.

"He's really something isn't he?" said Sakura after a moment of the two sitting, staring at the spot where Naruto had stood. "He was so troublesome when he was little, troublesome now… Like a little brother, but really. He's kind of good."

Sasuke said nothing, picking at the pimple on his leg again, trying very hard to ignore the warm swell in his chest.

There was no way Naruto could do anything...

The small swell at his knee popped open and beaded a bright red drop of blood that he flicked away before pressing the pad of his thumb to the opening, making it sting.

They had to be realistic…


	8. Chapter 8

_Soo… When I say I'm going to be good with updates… That might not be true. Unless someone wants to write my internal assessment on Roman architecture and my other internal on Pearl Harbour lol. Updates might be slightly slow but I'll do my very best guys so stay tuned ok?_

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><p>Naruto came back the next day and the next and the next. The way he stood there reminded Sasuke of when Naruto had come to visit him before but this time round Naruto always meant business as soon as he showed up every morning.<p>

The first day he'd been dressed in his finest clothes, expensive looking blue gem around his neck on full display, a ring his father had once worn slipped onto his thumb. He wore dressy shoes over his normal boots; trousers, a clean shirt and a jacket. His hair had been slicked back off his forehead. Sasuke had nearly laughed at him but saw the intense look on the blonde's face. On this occasion he had strutted right up to the guard and asked, without a hint of his usual speech that sometimes missed the ends of words, "I'm interested in buying a slave." And then, "I was wondering if it would be possible at all to take one on trial. Two actually. One male and one female, for labor and cooking." Sasuke had nearly believed him, his words all well rounded and his chest puffed out like a right young master, but the guard had shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head.

"Sorry, we can't do that sir."

Naruto had stomped back past the barred wall and off down the road without a word to Sasuke or Sakura. Sasuke watched Sakura's heart sink in her eyes but hadn't really expected anything himself.

The next day Naruto had come in his usual attire, thumbs hooked into his pockets and hair a thick mess of unkempt tresses.

"I challenge you," he'd said to the guard. He wore a confident smirk and at that moment Sasuke had gotten a bad feeling. "If I can win this game of poker, you give me my two slaves. The pretty pale thing and the girl with pink hair." This time the guard had given Naruto a grin.

"Not much business around here, boring as hell. You won't win so… Sounds fun, you're on kid!"

Naruto of course, lost the poker game and had then come to the bars and sat down on the dusty road.

"I lost." A snort and "no shit" from Sasuke. A pat on the shoulder and gentle encouragement from Sakura. Reassurance that they were still alright.

Naruto's promise to think of a better plan soon as he and Sakura played cards through the bars.

And then on the third day Naruto had resorted to what he'd actually said he'd do when he yelled at Sasuke. He came and attacked the guard. The day had been quiet so there were no witnesses. All Sasuke and Sakura heard were a fair amount of cursing, the exchange of blows and then Naruto being thrown against the wall to their right. It was a while till Naruto stumbled out to them again, collapsing before Sakura who quickly checked him over and then sat back while Naruto groaned and held his tender face.

"Maybe it is useless…" She had said.

Sasuke thought when Naruto left he'd probably been on the verge of tears. The raven hoped that the idiot wasn't stupid enough to think that the other part of his initial plan; to saw through the bars- could work.

And so Sasuke and Sakura spent days together in that cell. Naruto had left them the cards and for the two days that Naruto didn't come to see them, Sakura played Snap and Fish with the children. Sasuke just sat and watched. By now he had forgotten how many days they'd been in there.

He went to sleep one night in the corner next to the bars by himself, trying to remember but couldn't…

.

.

.

"Sasuke…" Long eyelashes fluttered slightly and then settled.

A warm hand in the one that lay by the side of his propped up sleeping form. A long, shaky intake of air. The smell of liquor on the exhale. Sasuke's eyes moved behind his eyelids.

"Sasuke…" They called him again and he opened his eyes to a narrow slit. Again with his name and he opened them properly and turned his head slowly, moving stiff legs, the action making a sting leap to the pimple on his knee as he bent it.

Naruto was at his side. Holding Sasuke's hand, head hanging forward. He was making wet crying noises. Sasuke blinked and then wrinkled his nose, drawing his eyebrows into a scowl.

"So you're an emotional drunk…" he said quietly into the silent night. Across the room Sakura and the children slept without stirring. Naruto lifted his head. Sasuke noted the shiny red rims of his eyes, glossy tears transparent silver in the moonlight. His pupils looked disproportioned. He sniffed and wiped his nose on the back of his free hand.

"Naruto, you're drunk. Go home," said Sasuke, pulling his hand away. Naruto snatched it back and picked it up, holding it tight in his hands. Sasuke let him.

"I don't want to go home Sasuke…" he said emotionally and raven shushed him. "It's so empty at home, because you and Sakura are here.." he said more softly this time. Sasuke felt a pang of guilt and turned.

_That's my fault…_

Naruto shifted forward to reach out and touch Sasuke's hair.

There was a long while of Naruto stroking Sasuke's hair.

"Remember… when I did this," he breathed. Sasuke wasn't sure which time he was talking about. Naruto was always touching him like this…

More quiet breathing. Naruto trying to make Sasuke say something as his fingers moved to Sasuke's face; touched his eye brows, eyelashes, lips, the turned down corners of his mouth.

"Say something Teme... Tell me what to do like always… I don't know what to do…" he whispered.

"Go home," said Sasuke.

The caressing stopped and Naruto's eyes dropped away behind a wall of thick fringe as he hung his head. His hand remained where it had cupped Sasuke's face but the fingers that rubbed in the fine hair behind his ear, the thumb that had ghosted across a dirty cheek bone, stopped.

Naruto's breathing was shaky again. Hot, like short little pants. Sasuke sighed and started to move away but as soon as he tried, Naruto's hand fisted into his hair and jerked him back with a brutal tug that had Sasuke dragged sideways and pressed him against the bars right next to Naruto.

"Oi!" hissed Sasuke, eyes darting to Sakura but immediately drawn back to Naruto as he felt heated breath on his face.

"Sasuke…" He growled and Sasuke's heartbeat picked up.

"Stop it Naruto , let me go now and go home," he warned but Naruto wasn't having it. His mood had swung dangerously. His voice was low and dark.

"You make me so angry sometimes. You're such an arrogant bastard... Acting like you don't want me to rescue you. Even though the guards at your old place used to call you 'Princess'…"

With a firm grip in Sasuke's hair the other man held him in place, nuzzling his nose against the raven's cheek and then, to Sasuke's horror, he _licked _ the side of his face. Naruto's free hand was suddenly wandering over Sasuke's chest as he chuckled breathily.

"Ya know, I really like you Sasuke. I might even love ya.." Fingers on the inside of his thigh. Tears instantly sprung to Sasuke's eyes and he began to struggle, pushing on Naruto's arms but the blonde was strong.

"What are you doing Naruto! Let me go!"

"I never told ya before but I really think so." The way Naruto slurred his words even more so than usual made Sasuke's skin crawl, reminding him vaguely of Moritaka.

"Stop it Naruto, stop it! I don't like it!" The drunken blonde was nipping at his neck and ghosting rough fingers under Sasuke's shirt and along the top of his waistband; dipping past it, lingering just long enough to scare the slave before it was on the move again. Twirling a nipple, grabbing a handful of Sasuke's flesh beneath his boxers.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Sasuke couldn't bring himself to raise his voice to anything more than a panicked whisper. What would Sakura say if she woke to see Naruto, cheerful Naruto, in such a state? And the children.

"Stop it Naruto!" Sloppy kisses and then Naruto's tongue forcing its way inside Sasuke's mouth.

"Mmm-!" Sasuke tried to bite but Naruto thumb was in the corner of his mouth, hooked over his teeth to hold his mouth open.

They broke apart and Naruto panted hotly onto his skin, "you look so dirty sitting there in my shirt and boxers…" Sasuke tried to lean away. He was shaking in rage, angry tears spilling over his cheeks.

"D-don't touch me anymore than this. Don't go any further than this." He didn't use Naruto's name, this wasn't Naruto. This wasn't Naruto at all. This was a distraught drunk.

The man loosened his grip on Sasuke's hair slightly and Sasuke clenched his teeth, willing his body to stop its trembling. This drunk seemed to have a taste for the vulnerable. He tried to quiet his shaky breaths.

"It's ok now, j-just stop it. Just let me go." Fingers fell from the long black hair and back past the bars, clanging painfully at the wrist but the man didn't notice. Sasuke backed away slowly into the shadows. The blonde watched him, his face wet with tears. His blue eyes were still and glazed over.

"Don't wanna go home…" he slurred once before dropping onto his side and falling unconscious. Sasuke didn't sleep anymore.

.

.

.

Sakura woke first. Sasuke watched her slip into consciousness slowly and then open her eyes.

"Good morning," she called softly across the cell. The dark haired boy nodded. She spotted Naruto and blinked.

"Did Naruto sleep there?"

Sasuke's eyes dropped away and he turned his attention to the pimple on his knee, leaning his head on the top of his knee. The skin around it was a watery red. It hurt. Sasuke dug his thumb nail into the flesh as Sakura called Naruto's name.

'I love you' he'd said… Sasuke's insides turned.

Sakura called again but Naruto didn't stir.

"He'll might be out for a while," said Sasuke hoarsely and flinched at the innocence in Sakura's green eyes. "He's been drinking…" Sakura's face fell.

"He's terrible when he drinks…" she said and Sasuke didn't reply. Sakura eyed him.

"What are you doing?"

"Pimple," he said simply. He felt her frown. Naruto groaned as she got to her feet.

"On your knee?"

"Yeah."

She was by his side. Sasuke saw the ache in her legs in the tension of her mouth as she came to kneel beside him. She was starting to feel it.

"That red…" Her fingers prodded at Sasuke's knees gently, turning her hand over and resting it over the pimple. "It's hot. We'd better keep an eye on that." She turned her head and brought her sleeve to her mouth, ripping of a long strip with her teeth and then wrapped it around Sasuke's leg.

"We'll keep it covered for now ok? How's that? Does that feel ok?"

Sasuke nodded, grimacing at the painful pressure at his knee. And then they both looked as from beyond the bars Naruto raised his head.

"Hm- what's goin' on? Where am I?" The blond sat up awkwardly and looked around before rubbing his face. "Was trying to think of a plan.. and then I…"

Sakura tried to get up and go to him but Sasuke's hand shot out and held the girl in her place.

Naruto was frozen on the spot, his fingers a sort of cage around his face and through them Sasuke saw wide blue eyes, his mouth was falling open.

The night before coming back.

Sakura's eyes on both of them.

Naruto got unsteadily to his feet. Sasuke tensed and braced himself for Naruto to spin to him and yell he was sorry about what he did and beg for forgiveness.

But it didn't happen. The boy beyond the walls stood very still and then:

"I need some time. I'll be back in a couple of days."

And he was gone. Sasuke released his tight grip on Sakura's wrist and she stood and turned to look down on him.

"What happened there?" Sasuke shook his head.

"Nothing."

"Sasuke?"

"Nothing, Sakura. Nothing happened…"

.

.

.

Two days' time the pimple had gotten worse than just a little inflamed skin. It wasn't looking good. The tiny bump had risen and swollen into something quite a bit more serious. Sakura identified it as an infected spider bite. Sasuke wasn't surprised. There were bugs all over this place. Must have gotten him when he was asleep. Sakura had moved him next to the bars, desperately hoping for rain so she could clean him but there had been none since they got there. It was a very dry kind of cold. Not that Sasuke could feel it very much through the pain of his leg.

Sakura had been cleaning the bite with the little share of water they had but it wasn't doing much for Sasuke. Every day she had to rip more of one of their shirts for a makeshift bandage to keep it covered, the previous one contaminated by the continuous weeping pus from the wound after its huge yellow head had burst. The skin around it was blackening as the infection became more and more serious. The immediate area around the wound was tinged with blue. The flesh was dying and Sasuke had a high fever that seemed to worsen over night as the days went by.

"Just when is this fever going to break?" A distressed Sakura murmured as Sasuke lay one night, tossing and turning his head in discomfort, as he tried to sleep in her lap. "You shouldn't have messed with it Sasuke. You should know that you still don't have much of an immune system, and I don't have anything to treat you with," she whispered and pushed the hair off his face. Sasuke clenched his eyes shut and grappled at the dirt beneath his fingers in pain. His heartbeat was a steady throb in his leg from half way down his shin into part of his thigh. His body was excruciatingly hot. He couldn't sleep. It was especially bad at night when he couldn't sleep. It was maddening.

"Naruto had better come back soon so I can ask him to bring me some clean stuff and medicine. That idiot, just what is he doing?" Sakura growled. Sasuke covered his face with his hands.

"It hurts…" he ground out. Sakura wiped sweat from his forehead with the soft inside of her arm.

"I know Sasuke, I know." She offered her hand to him to hold which he took but then dropped. It was insanely cold against his super-heated skin, to the point where it felt like it was burning him.

"Can't sleep." He looked up at Sakura, eyes searching her as if the answer to end all the pain might be right there in her face.

"I know Sasuke. Try to bear it; I'm sure Naruto will be back tomorrow. Just hold on."

Hot tears leaked from Sasuke's unfocussed eyes and he cried out loud as they struck fire down the side of his face.

"Try to sleep Sasuke.." She didn't dare touch him again. Not even wipe the tears from his face. From the other side of the room the children were watching.

"It's cold," called one and Sasuke made a strangled noise. Sakura was tense and Sasuke knew she was stressed. Looking after him the best she could, trying to make the children understand why they couldn't all sleep together anymore, herding them away from Sasuke for fear that he might lash out at them in his frustration and pain. And then after all that, dealing with how her body was failing her. With how long it would take her to get to her feet in the morning. With how much effort it was to chew not only her own food, but Sasuke's too before poking it into his mouth. Most of the time he spat it out. Most of the time his jaw had other jobs, like clenching tight to hold his head together through the head aches that came. He was so tired. Noises were so loud and he couldn't stop himself from crying sometimes. It was mortifying.

Another two days later, Naruto came back. Sasuke couldn't open his eyes to see him but he heard him. Heard Sakura stumble to the bars and grab him. Heard Sakura whisper desperately to him and then the heavy sound of Naruto dropping to his knees. The sun on Sasuke's face disappeared as Naruto blocked it out and he cracked his eyes open.

"Dobe…" he croaked. Tears pooled in summer blue eyes as Naruto picked up Sasuke's hand. Very different to the way he had held that night. Sasuke smiled. He could hardly even remember that incident. All he knew was that he was glad to see Naruto.

For reasons he wasn't even sure of.

"Oh god, Sasuke. Oh god, I'm sorry I stayed away so long! I'm sorry, not only for that but for, for, I'm so sorry!" Sasuke said nothing and closed his eyes again as Naruto turned to Sakura. He was so tired. The pain wasn't even really an issue anymore. His mind didn't seem to register it but apparently his body did and it kept him awake for the longest times…

"He's not dying or anything right Sakura!"

"I don't think he's dying Naruto but it's pretty bad. I need you to bring me some things from my bag at home ok? It'll be in my room…"

"What's wrong with him Sakura?"

"He's got an infection on his leg."

"His leg?" Naruto sounded panicky. Sasuke could hear him pacing a little. "What do you need Sakura, I'll bring it. And I'll seriously beat anyone who tries to stop me this time."

A silence in which Sasuke assumed they were looking at him.

"I've managed to keep it clean enough for it not to get well, terrible but, you'd better bring my whole bag. You might want to go see Kakashi sensei too. He'll know what to do better than me. What have you told him about me so far, you didn't tell him why I'm not at work right? I'll lose my job."

"I said you were sick. I said it was ok not to come check on you since you're a nurse."

"That's ok. Don't tell him. Get some more of the paste that's in my bag from him too. That will help."

"Ok, bag, Kakashi, paste. Got it, I'll go right now. I'll go now ok Sakura?"

"Ok Naruto."

Another silence. The air shivered.

"I'll go n-n…"

"Oh Naruto don't cry, he'll be fine. I'm going to help him ok. Go now. OK? Go and get my things."

Shuffling of Naruto's jacket against Sakura's almost bare body as they embraced through the bars.

"Shhh, it's ok."

"M-mm. I'll go now. L-Look after him ok? He looks so sick and I just can't- He's too-"

"Go now."

"O-Ok."

Naruto's boots slapping against the ground as he ran off.

"It's gonna be ok. Sasuke. Hang in there…"


	9. Chapter 9

_Hoooomeeeewooorrrkkkkkk... *ignores* Sigh, there I was being mature and responsible saying, "Nope! No more fanfic till I do my assessment!" Did not happen. _

_I definitely have my priorities sorted appropriately._

* * *

><p>The night before Naruto came back, it rained.<p>

"Finally rain," Sakura had said when it started in the middle of the night. Sasuke, in half consciousness had tried to roll away from it, the soft droplets of Sakura's relief like ice cold needles on his hot skin. She'd dragged him out of the way when his whimpering had turned to loud cries.

"He can sleep with us if you like the rain," one of the children had told Sakura. She'd allowed Sasuke to rest his head on the stomach of one child and another to sit by his head and hold his hand. As long as they stayed away from Sasuke's infection with their scratched at mosquito bites.

Sasuke had watched her, in the dim light of the moon, strip herself naked and stand with her clothes draped over her hands, lifting them to the heavy rain. He was too tired to register the fact that standing before him had been a naked girl. As the boy holding his hand had carefully combed the hair off his face and out of his eyes, Sasuke had been fascinated with the way the barely there light made Sakura's dark figure glow.

Moonlight beams streaming past the curve in her waist, glowing in the gap between her legs that he wrinkled his nose at, thinking it was much too wide. She'd lost weight.

With her stretched form reaching to the sky, the exposed ridges of her ribs make darker shadows against her skin that looked a smoky grey by night. Sasuke could swear he could hear the rattle of her bones as she shivered, naked in the cold.

She'd then torn the sleeves of her night gown and redressed Sasuke's leg after wringing out the makeshift bandage.

"I'll have something better for you when Naruto brings my things tomorrow."

Sasuke closed his eyes.

.

.

.

When Naruto came back it was still raining. And while Sasuke couldn't stand the feel of the needle-rain, the sound was rather nice. It was hushed on the roof and made loud voices sound normal again. For the first time in what felt like forever to Sasuke, he unclenched his jaw and managed some of the soft bread Naruto had bought with him and the pain-killing medicine he had to take with it. He managed to not cry when Sakura had moved him back to the spot by the bars, angled out of the rain. He managed to open his eyes and stare sleepily at Naruto who held his hand because Sakura had told him not to look while she uncovered his leg and began treating it.

Sterile water, clean wipes, tweezers to remove dead layers of skin. Sasuke tried not to clench his teeth, instead squeezing Naruto's hand so hard the blonde winced.

"Is it bad Sakura?" asked Naruto, his eyes shifting slightly and breaking perfect contact with Sasuke. The man beyond the bars went to look but Sasuke squeezed his hand before his eyes moved away.

"D-don't leave me…" he whispered, voice hoarse. "C-can you stay looking at me?" Sasuke became aware of the fact that his whole body was tense and trembling, covered in sweat. He could feel his eyes moving wildly across Naruto's. The raven blinked, eyelids taking three attempts to do it properly and somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that he shouldn't be asking something so pathetic. But he couldn't help licking his lips nervously and holding onto Naruto's hand more tightly.

"C-can you…" A weird noise that was supposed to be a word burbled past Sasuke's lips and he squeezed his eyes shut once, trying to get a grip. Sakura braced her thumbs around the bite and pressed in slightly. Sasuke let out a cry and his hands jolted forward through the bars in a jerky lunge to clutch at Naruto's forearms.

"Don't move around Sasuke!"

The Uchiha growled.

"Sasuke…" The blonde's voice sounded choked. Sasuke's ground his forehead against the bar that obstructed the space between him and Naruto.

"Naruto," called Sakura. "You saw Kakashi sensei when you went to get the paste?" Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, I said you'd run out and wanted me to get some for you since you were sick at home."

"What did he say?" Sakura's thumbs were still resting on Sasuke's knee.

"He didn't really say much… He gave me the paste and asked if it was for you. I said it wasn't. He was looking at me kinda weird though, but ya know he always looks at me weird. I think it's the one eye thing."

Sakura made a humming noise.

"I guess that's ok. He can't know I'm here or I'll definitely lose my job."

Naruto fingers moved more comfortably around where he held Sasuke at the elbows.

"Ok Sasuke, I know this is going to hurt but I think the best thing is to get this thing really clean and then it can start healing. That means—" Her thumbs again. Sasuke snarled lowly. "—I have to squeeze all the pus out." Sasuke moved to smack her hands away from his knee but Naruto held him steady.

"N-Na, Sasuke, let's talk about something while she does it? What do you want to talk about? Wait a second Sakura while we decide." Sasuke's eyes were closed and he tossed his head from side to side.

"Don't," he ground out. Naruto shook him a little.

"Let's talk about what you can do when you get out of here." Sasuke cracked his eyes open and glared up at the blonde from under angry, deep-set brows. But Naruto, all sodden and stubborn ignored him and began by himself.

"Lesee here… When you get out, you can-"

Sakura got her thumbs ready. Sasuke hung his head and dug his fingernails into Naruto's arms.

"—live with me and we'll plant a garden—"

The thought of how easily Naruto was assuming Sasuke would live with him again if he ever got outand the following train of thought about his feelings, briefly entered Sasuke's mind but was completely lost to the white pain that exploded inside his head as Sakura began to squeeze.

Sasuke screamed and Naruto raised his voice over it.

"—and grow tomatoes because you like 'em and lotsa other food and-"

The film of rain on Naruto's arms beneath Sasuke's palms was burning. The screaming was tearing his throat out. Sakura stopped squeezing to wipe away the pus and then started again.

"—and we'll live together in my house with Sakura and everyone will be happy, and Sakura will work and maybe we will too but-"

The door across the room slammed open and a guard appeared.

"Oi! What are you doing! Get away from my slave dammit! I know you've been coming here all the time Boy and I ignored it for a little while but! "

"—we'll always do the shopping like we did before-"

"Oi! What are you doing! What's going on!"

Sasuke screamed louder. Naruto's loud words had stopped and the blonde was now leaning forward, telling Sasuke things his pain riddled mind couldn't comprehend.

"Almost there Sasuke! Almost there!" called Sakura, her thumbs trembling with effort to clean out the pus.

"Oi-!" started the guard but Sakura interrupted.

"Shut up!"

The squeezing stopped and Sasuke collapsed sideways and then rolled onto his back, moaning. Sakura and Naruto were both panting. The sound of the rain faded back in to play company to the thick silence that followed. The guard took a few steps forward, beady eyes taking in the medical kit inside the slave quarters, the trembling pile of teenage body that was Sasuke, the blond sitting beyond the bars with his head in his hands, rain dripping off his thick hair, flat and dark in the wet.

"What's going on here?" In Sasuke's head his voice was wobbly and watery. He was exhausted from the effort it took to hold himself steady and not writhe while Sakura had squeezed. His breath was long and noisy. Through his eyelashes he saw the guard approach Sakura.

"I couldn't get it all out," said Sakura quietly, ignoring the guard. "But it'll help," she told Naruto. "Hopefully…" Lifting tired eyes to the guard she scowled, tiny bumps flanking her nose as she curled her lip in disgust.

"None of this would have happened if slaves weren't treated this way." She gestured to the room. "I mean what is this? Look what this place has done to Sasuke! To the kids too… Thank god we have Naruto… We need some outside help."

The guard's face hardened.

"No one leaves here unless they're paid for. You're slaves, nothing else matters."

"They're people," said Naruto lowly but was ignored. Sakura was silent as she reached for the paraffin gauze and tweezers. The guard turned heel and stomped back through the door, locking it behind him.

"We'll need more wipes Naruto. Go to Kakashi sensei again. Tell him in my boredom I've been going through my first aid kit and asking you to get what I need to restock." She gently laid the gauze over Sasuke's bite and then laid another dressing over the top before carefully taping it down to Sasuke's inflamed, throbbing flesh before winding a bandage securely over and under his knee.

"…It's just us isn't it Sakura?" murmured Naruto. Sasuke rolled his head sideways to look at the other boy who was looking at Sakura. The blonde's face was twisted with a mix of emotions Sasuke's hazy consciousness couldn't separate to understand. "It's just us. The guard won't help us or let us take Sasuke out. If he did we could just escape…"

"It's just us Naruto, but we can do this." She nodded to herself and then both pairs of eyes were on Sasuke. He blinked back without words. Naruto reached over and thumbed the sweat from his upper lip.

"How bad is it Sasuke? How's the pain?" asked Sakura.

"Everything's throbbing," he slurred, voice crackling. "Tired… Sore…" Sakura packed her things away and set the medical kit in the corner.

"I don't think he'll take this off us; that guard. He only comes in when he hears something happening. Useless."

Sasuke's eyes flickered. Some of the children who had been hiding in the far corner from Sasuke's screams were crawling forward. Remembering all Sakura's warnings about not getting too close, they stopped and sat in a small bunch.

"Is he ok now?" Sasuke didn't bother to look to them.

"Right now he's ok," Sakura replied, voice holding a forced smile for the children.

They said nothing more. Sasuke heard the scuffle of calloused bare feet as the rest of the child-pack came to sit by his side.

"Naruto," said Sakura. "Go to Kakashi sensei today. And come back to me tomorrow so I can clean Sasuke again.

"Go now?" asked Naruto. Something in the air shifted.

"Now that I think about it Naruto, you're living in the house on your own aren't you…"

"Y-yeah?"

"And you have the rest of the day free before you go to see Kakashi sensei…"

"Y-yes?"

"Good, then you can clean the house. I _know _it's messy. Make yourself useful."

Sakura sounded pleased with herself but Naruto was silent.

"Actually… it's not much different to how you left it. I've been worried so I haven't been eating much. Mostly I just sleep there…"

"Oh…"

Silence. Sakura's attempt at a change in atmosphere died away.

"He's not gonna die right Sakura?" asked Naruto. The same question from before. Sasuke noted the worry laced into the other's tone and felt bad for causing it. He was always causing Naruto so much trouble. He'd even gone so far as getting injured for Sasuke… Taking him into his home… And now this.

"He's not going to die Naruto. I promise."

"He'll get better? Definitely, right?"

"Definitely."

Sasuke drifted off into sleep as the conversation ended. Naruto's voice was soft and distant as he said his goodbyes'.

The rain was an even, pitter-patter lullaby.

.

.

.

Sasuke woke in the middle of the night after sleeping through the day. It was raining, much lighter than it had been before. It was cold and Sasuke thought he must have cooled off a bit too because the chill didn't bite at him like it had been doing. The throb in his leg had dulled. He lay quietly in the dark, Sakura by his side and a collection of small bodies nearby, and started sorting through the piled up thoughts in his head. He hadn't addressed anything either because he hadn't wanted to or because the pain had been too overbearing to get to anything like that. But now that the pain had subsided some, he didn't have much of a choice. Issues pressed and niggled at him.

Naruto being the first and foremost.

What should he do about Naruto? It had been… _easy _in the last few days. Because he had tiptoeing at the edge of unconsciousness most of the time... But he'd been glad Naruto had been there; to hold his hand when he was pathetic, to make efforts of distractions for him.

But he'd been so angry when Naruto came to him that night and _touched _him like he had. He'd been angry, and scared. He'd held Sakura away from Naruto. That had to mean something. But then—

"_D-don't leave me…", "C-can you stay looking at me?"_

He couldn't think properly at the time and his instincts had taken over. Instincts that told him that if Naruto wasn't near, something might go wrong. He'd clung to Naruto. Sasuke, with no proud walls or guarded faces, had sought out Naruto when he was weak; like it was only Naruto who could see him like that; like if Naruto weren't there, the shame of being that pathetic would have been unbearable. If Naruto hadn't looked at him and understood.

Sasuke blinked slowly in the gloom. The ache in his leg was strengthening. He closed his eyes and tried to identify the facts.

Naruto had been drunk.

Naruto had been upset.

Naruto had felt helpless.

Naruto had wanted to be comforted.

And Sasuke had snapped at him and provoked him with his cold attitude.

It wasn't all Naruto's fault?

Open eyes again.

_Right, it's not all Naruto's fault. I… _

Naruto's face the morning after; wide, disbelieving eyes. He'd obviously regretted it.

Sasuke wondered if he could just let it go that easily and then decided, turning his head to where Sakura was curled up on her side next to him, that he could as blurry images of how the two of them had helped him today, and all Naruto's genuine concern lines crossed his mind.

Sasuke smiled slightly through the ache of his leg and whispered to cool night air:

"Dobe."

.

.

.

When Naruto returned the next day, Sasuke was sitting with one leg folded and the bitten one stretched out. Sakura was taking off the dressing.

"You look a lot better Sasuke," said Naruto, folding into a sitting position next to Sasuke and immediately taking his hand through the bars. The raven eyed where they touched and Naruto started when Sasuke looked back at him, registering the complete consciousness in his dark eyes. The blond quickly dropped Sasuke's hand, eyes skirting off to the side.

"A-ah… Sasuke, I…" Sasuke looked back down at their hands and then wriggled his fingers forward to lace them with Naruto's. The other boy jumped at the contact and slowly turned astonished eyes to the slave.

"Sasuke?"

The dark haired boy's response was a soft snort through his nose with the words: "you're a terrible drunk", before wincing as Sakura peeled away the soiled gauze.

"That actually looks better," commented Sakura cheerfully but Sasuke couldn't see how it looked 'better' at all. It was still a disgusting blue-black colour and the bite was an open wound, raw and red, a deep center of yellow pus. He wrinkled his nose as Naruto pointed and made circles in the air around the bite.

"The red doesn't look like its spread anymore since yesterday."

"You're right Naruto, it may have even come in a bit."

The three leaned in to examine the watery red spread of infection under Sasuke's skin.

And then—

"So this is what happened." A deep voice from behind them, dropping down on them as the owner looked in over Naruto's head.

Nobody moved. Sasuke watched Sakura's eyes grow wide and round. Naruto was tense beside him and the hand that Sasuke held had turned cold. Sasuke tried not to breathe. He didn't know what was going on but no one dared to look at what might lie behind and above Naruto. Sasuke's gaze edged to the shadows on the ground. Naruto's had been completely swallowed by another.

Sakura was the first to speak and turn to look. The boys followed suit.

"I'd been wondering where you were, Sakura. Naruto's a terrible liar you know."

Wide, seafoam green eyes.

"K-Kakashi sensei…"

* * *

><p><em>Busted. <em>


	10. Chapter 10

_Guu~ Late again … Sorry~ _

_Sasuke's spider bite is actually something real that happened to me and right now the poison is still in my system and its giving me some trouble that involves making it quite hard to type or really do much with one of my arms. _

_Hopefully it goes away soon!_

* * *

><p>He was quite the sight to see, this 'Kakashi sensei'. As they sat, all rags, soiled slave clothing and unslept undereyes, this man was so neat and clean. Next to Naruto and Sasuke's prickly, unshaven jawlines and Sakura's split dirty hair, he was bathed and scented. They could smell it; a musky aroma as he leant in over them.<p>

His moonlight silver hair, despite the way it stuck up was swept slightly to one side, groomed and tidy, falling gentle and soft. Even as he stood with his eyepatch and surgical mask, he was immaculate; dress shirt and trousers under a splendid white coat, shiny black shoes against bare feet and dirty boots.

Sakura stumbled upward to her feet, ankle rolling sideways in her haste. She fell against the bars and then raised her head slowly to meet the eyes of her sensei; bent knees and trembling hands in his shadow as he straightened. His face was smiling with a mysterious ebb at the corner of his lips, eyes closed into the curious expression.

"Sakura," he said simply causing the girl to draw a long breath.

"K-Kakashi sensei! This isn't-" A thin arm flew out in a wild gesture as if some sort of explanation could be right there in the air around them but it only served to draw the doctor's eye to their environment. Sakura's arm immediately came back to close inside her small, frail chest as Kakashi gaze followed the movement.

The man moved to rest one hand on his hip. Naruto was standing too now. No one seemed to know what to say.

Kakashi was studying them, his eyes currently running the length of Sasuke's sitting form and lingering at his knee. He clicked his tongue, his eyes coming back to the raven's.

"It's my fault," said Sasuke suddenly.

"Sasuke its not-" began Naruto.

"What is?" cut in Kakashi. Sasuke blinked.

"Everything. It's my fault that all this had happened," he replied calmly. "If Naruto and Sakura hadn't have gotten involved with me, none of this would have happened. Everything is my fault."

_So don't punish them_

_So don't scold them_

_So don't look to them_

_Because it was all me _

Kakashi's smile had dropped and he let out a sigh after a minute.

"Kakashi sensei," started Sakura again but the man held up a hand, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

"Naruto is a bad liar but still no one told me anything. You think I wouldn't notice if you didn't come to work, Sakura?" He opened an eye and stared pointedly at the girl before him. "You don't think I don't know you better than that? You think that after working next to you for so long that I wouldn't see through this…" Another sigh. He turned to face her completely. "Even though you should know I would see through it, you didn't come to me for help? You sent Naruto to get your pastes and your gauzes but you wouldn't come to me for help? Aren't we family?"

Sakura was crying, wide eyes of realization and as Sasuke looked between the two and then to Naruto who was biting his lip, eyes on the ground, that although the doctor's face was calm, that although he spoke in a soft tone, he was hurt. But no one had considered such a thing, heads only full of the disgrace, the danger of losing a job.

Just who was this man to the two, to Naruto and to Sakura? Clearly more than a family doctor or employer.

There was a long moment where they all stood in silence. Sasuke watched until Kakashi lowered his eyes to him again.

"So you're Sasuke are you? I heard something of you before all of this. Sakura and Naruto's stray kitten."

An observing face that again drifted past Sasuke's eyes and to his knee.

"That, it's quite nasty isn't it?" Sakura drew a long wet breath through her nose.

"I tried to treat the best I could," she muttered. Kakashi hummed.

"Well, it's a good thing I'm here then I suppose. I'm here to rescue you by the way," Kakashi told them as he took a few steps towards the corner of the building.

"What!" yelled Naruto, grabbing the man's arm, expression serious. "Kakashi sensei, you can't possibly be thinking of trying to buy them? When I bought Sasuke it cleaned me out!"

Kakashi's smile was back and as he pushed Naruto gently aside he reached to ruffle the boy's grimy hair.

"I'll figure something out."

And he disappeared around the corner. Naruto stood for one second and then followed.

A moment later the door slammed back on his hinges and there was the clean, tidy doctor standing inside the slave quarters, a guard, different from the day before, and Naruto tailing him as he crossed the room in quick strides and stood next to Sasuke and Sakura.

"Now, Mister, I hear ya when ya say yer interested in buyin' a slave, respectable doctor like yerself but it's just yer with that boy…" Skirting eyes at Naruto who had followed them in. Kakashi turned to the guard and rummaged through his pocket.

"The boy is with me and yes I'm here for my 'slave' but I will not be paying for her because you see, unlike yourself, I do not simply _steal _people, and this little lady-" Kakashi's hand came to rest on Sakura's shoulder. "- is my nurse and she has a contract with me that I'm not prepared to overlook. She is mine."

The guard opened his mouth to protest, lips popping into a 'p' sound in preparation of 'prove it' but before he could Kakashi had shoved a signed contract in his face. His pleasant smile was unnerving.

"I figured Miss Haruno had gotten herself in a fair bit of trouble so I thought I'd bring this along. And-" The contract was withdrawn into the depths of Kakashi's doctor's coat as he bent on one knee and slid his arms carefully under Sasuke's knees (somehow expertly arranging his hold around Sasuke's bite) and in one smooth movement, lifted Sasuke with ease into his arms. Uchiha was surprised by Kakashi's stern and straight-forward manner after seeing him, even when he was hurt, so kind.

"-I'll be taking this one with me for treatment." The doctor looked down at the guard who seemed unsure what to do and then to the children along the wall watching with round eyes.

"It's disgusting in here. Be sure that while these children aren't in a state severe enough to be rescued right now, I will be writing a letter detailing their living conditions. Come on Sakura."

As they headed for the door they were children next to Kakashi. Sasuke, cradled in his arms, holding carefully around his neck; Sakura, teetering along behind him crying tears of happiness and Naruto, at his elbow grinning a strange relieved smile at Sasuke. His fingers were holding onto Sasuke's dirty toes as if it were his hand.

"W-wait!" yelled the guard, sliding between them and the exit. "The girl I get is yours but there is no reason for the boy to leave! He's been being treated by that boy through the bars! That can still happen with you! He can't leave this room!"

Kakashi had come to a stop.

"You can't be suggesting an infected leg stays in a place like _this?_"

Sasuke wasn't entirely sure he liked the way Kakashi referred only to his leg rather than him as a whole.

"He's doin' just fine! He's a whole lot better than yesterday ain't he?"

"He's coming with me," replied Kakashi firmly, taking a step forward.

They'd almost made it past the failing guard when from outside came a voice.

"Ooooi, I'm takin' over the shift noooow, you can-" The guard, familiar face and voice stopped in the doorway. Kakashi came to a halt too. The guard from yesterday looked the doctor up and down and took in his nervous college standing off to the side.

"Sir…" the first guard called weakly. Cruel eyes were running the length of Naruto.

"Oi, oi, oi, just what's going on here now?" His eyes skipped to Sakura. "You, Little Miss Doctor, I told ya no one leaves without being paid for didn't I?" Kakashi shifted his shoes on the dusty ground.

"She has a contract with me, you can't simply steal someone's nurse like that," he told the guard calmly. The other man scowled darkly and stepped forward, jabbing Sasuke in the arm, raising his voice.

"Then what the hell are you doing with this other one!" Naruto moved forward slightly. He'd let go of Sasuke's toes.

"This leg needs treatment! I'm taking him with me!" snapped Kakashi. "And I'm quickly losing patience with you people so kindly _move!" _Using his body, the doctor tried to shove the guard but the other pushed him back.

"I'm the one losin' patience! You can have the girl, tits aren't big enough to bring in any good money anyway, but the boy is staying here, he can be treated right here and sold when he's better!"

"He's coming with us!" yelled Naruto as both he and Kakashi pressed forward and were pushed back yet again. The blonde growled lowly. The guard was glowering and reaching to his thigh. A shiny knife emerged. Sasuke felt panic rise in the back of his throat but no one else knew the brutality of slave keepers so they stood his ground. When he tried to speak his voice came out chalky and Kakashi shushed him.

"Now boys, I'm right about at my limit with bein' a nice guy. You can't just come prancing in here and taking your pick of my slaves. The girl, yes, but put the boy down and you can leave quietly," grinned the guard waving the knife in lazy circles, point towards Sasuke and Kakashi. "I'm top dog around here so if you all just wanna take a step back…"

Sasuke felt Kakashi square his shoulders.

"I'm not leaving without Sasuke," he said tightly and took a step forward. The guard sighed and then snapped his eyes open.

"Fine."

An arm raised.

The blade glinted in the sun and then suddenly the shiny metal was a line of swift white light as it came down in a slash motion.

Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut.

Sakura screamed.

Kakashi's body rolled back.

There was movement in front of Sasuke's closed eyelids.

A strange noise of something spattering onto the ground.

Silence.

Sasuke's body was drawing tiny little breaths and then Sakura gasped. Kakashi's arm slipped against Sasuke's bite as he slid the boy roughly to the floor, but the pain didn't matter. When Sasuke opened his eyes, Sakura's wide eyes were a piercing shade of green against a faded everything. Just her terrified green eyes and the horrifically red colour of the blood on her hands…

Voices were muted against his ears.

"Naruto! Naruto move your hand let me see!"

"Sakura move, let me look!"

"I-Its just a scratch, is Sasuke ok?

"That's not just a scratch moron! Why did you jump out like that!"

"I was protecting K-Kakashi sensei and Sasuke…"

"Sakura, your bag please."

"Right!"

"Keep your hand there Naruto, just like that. It's not too bad, I'll have to stitch it though."

Kakashi was gently lowering Naruto onto the ground, hand behind his head, bloody fingers tangled in dirty blond locks. Sasuke's eyes slowly moved down the stretch of red blood that spread from one side of Naruto's chest to just above where his belly button lay.

_He jumped in front of us. He has nothing to do with it and he jumped in front of us. And that guard didn't even hesitate…_

A heat rushed to Sasuke's fingertips as Kakashi unbuttoned Naruto's shirt and revealed the knife wound. Sakura was quickly pulling a needle and thread from the medical she'd balanced on her knee. Something sour coated the roof of Sasuke's mouth and although he couldn't feel it, he could hear his chest rising and falling in long, angry breaths.

"You…" he snarled turning cold eyes to the guard. The man in the doorway shrugged.

"I warned you."

The heat lifted the hair on the back of Sasuke's neck and he suddenly realized he was gritting his teeth so hard they ached.

This man, so carelessly had slashed Naruto; made him bleed…

This man, cared nothing for the injury he'd given an innocent person; someone who wasn't even a slave, Naruto had every right to leave but this man… didn't care who it was that now lay on the ground, growling in pain as Kakashi stitched him…

"You!" Cried Sasuke and leapt forward. The guard's unconcerned features were a taunt, maddening. Sasuke threw himself forward; not thinking what would happen, just that this man had hurt Naruto. The guard raised his eyebrows and dipped his body low, readying the knife.

Something in the background clattered on the ground.

"Sasuke! No!"

In a rush of pink and dirty white Sakura was on him, arms locking tightly around his waist, their legs stumbling around each other as she held him back, face pressed into his back.

"Sasuke, no! Stop!"

Sasuke's leg buckled in pain and they both fell back. He sat panting between Sakura's long white legs, her arms still holding him, face still pressed into his back as they sat amongst the scattered utensils that had fallen from Sakura's bag.

Kakashi was finished stitching Naruto and was now holding him up as he dressed the cut. Blood from where Sasuke had torn the skin around his bite with his movement was running down his leg.

"Sasuke," called Naruto and the raven immediately turned his wild eyes to the blonde. "It's alright Sasuke, I'm ok." Naruto nodded at him with a lopsided, tight smile, eyebrows drawn together in a way that made the expression look strange. Blue eye moved away from Sasuke and to the guard who had straightened up and was now leaning against the doorway, watching.

"So." The blonde addressed the guard. Kakashi pulled the bandage tight and fastened it. Naruto got awkwardly to his feet, hand resting over his heavily bandaged chest, and then continued. "I was thinkin'- before you had a go at me-"

Sakura stood and Kakashi lifted Sasuke back into his arms.

"-How about a trade?" The guard raised an eyebrow. Naruto jerked a thumb at Sasuke.

"Yeah, me for him."

"No!" protested Sakura. "Sasuke should be able to come with us without—"

"Sakura," muttered Kakashi, stopping her. "Let's see what happens…"

The girl fell silent. Sasuke simply stared at Naruto, not believing what he was hearing.

"Let Kakashi sensei take S-Sasuke out and you can have me instead, that way you won't be l-losing anything right?" Naruto's words tripped over pain as he took a few steps back into the slave quarters. The guard's lips curled.

"That I think, will do nicely." Naruto nodded and the guard stepped aside, smiling all the while at the bigger and stronger youth. Kakashi bumped Sasuke up in his arms.

"Let's go Sakura," he said taking steps forward. The girl followed unsurely, looking back at Naruto who smiled at them.

"I'll be alright Sakura. Take care of Sasuke for me ok?"

"Y-yeah…"

Over Kakashi's shoulder, Sasuke's wide eyes watched Naruto walk stiffly to the side of the room and take a seat against the wall. As the door began to swing shut he lifted a hand and waved at the raven.

The door shut with a slam and Sasuke gasped.

"NO NARUTO! NO! LET ME DOWN!" The raven flung his arms out towards the door, struggling against Kakashi's hold. "NO NO NO! THIS ISN'T RIGHT! " One leg escaped the arms of the doctor but was quickly gathered up again.

"Sasuke this is the only way to get you treated!"

"Stay still boy!"

Kakashi picked up the pace and they were quickly passing the open front of the slave quarters. Naruto's blue eyes locked with Sasuke's. He was still smiling.

"NARUTO!"

The slave quarters were gone but Sasuke still struggled and screamed.

_This isn't right! _

_This isn't right! _

_Naruto can't take my place! Naruto! Naruto!_

_ No! He can't do this for me! I won't let him!_

_ He's injured too! Because of me!_

_ No! This isn't right!_

Warm fingers came to his neck and pressed down firmly on something that made Sasuke's body limp, his fall shut.

* * *

><p><em>Lol, Naruto made such a speedy recovery. You're probs supposed to wait for bleeding to stop n stuff but meh, Kakashi's a genius doctor and I don't know anything about wounds of any kind aside from spider bites.<em>


	11. Chapter 11

_Baaawww! Took. So. Long. Just. GUH! Life! _

_Anyway, Sakura scares me in this chapter. Her and Sasuke's relationship and her and Naruto's are so backwards xDD_

* * *

><p>When Sasuke woke he was lying in a clean white bed. To his right was a long curtain acting like a wall. Against it there was the shadow of another bed and a small mound of someone he could hear breathing deeply. In the quiet he could hear someone beyond the room making tinkering noises with something that sounded like metal.<p>

The raven blinked slow and long, trying to work out where he was.

_A hospital..?_

A flash of blond and blue cut across his vision and suddenly Sasuke was very aware of an aching in his leg and the presence of a bed, a _real_ bed comforting his tired body.

"Naruto," he whispered into the room and the deep breathing someone made rustling noises with a blanket.

"Sasuke?" Sakura's voice called him from the other side of the curtain wall. The raven swallowed thickly trying to sort himself out. Bringing somehow clean hands to his face he shoved them through the knots in his hair, holding the tresses brutally off his face, pushing against the tangles to the point that he felt his skin pulling taut even as he lowered and drew his brow, gritting his teeth in an anguished expression.

"Sasuke?" she called again. He licked his lips and tensed as he heard her set bare feet on the cold floor of the clinic room.

She came padding around the curtain and stopped by his bedside. The heels of Sasuke's palms were grinding against his eyes. His skin smelt washed and scented. Not his smell.

"Sasuke." Fingertips on the back of his hands, gently tracing the blue line of vein until she came to grasp his wrist, pulling it away from his face. With one hand still covering his face he looked up at where she stood over him. She was dressed in a night gown; light blue and new. He could feel himself naked beneath his blanket.

"You're awake," she said with a smile that Sasuke couldn't return. He tugged the wrist she was holding from her fingers and lay it against his chest, trying his very best to find an appropriate face; something that wasn't as utterly pathetic as he was at this moment. Green eyes watched the process with a grim expression. Watched as the man drew into himself and stared at the ceiling.

"Sasuke—"

"Stop it. Don't talk." He felt her slouch in defeat as he cut her off.

'_Don't talk'; Don't try to console me. _

"Sasuke, don't worry-" Something in Sasuke's chest clenched. Rounding on her he yelled:

"Don't worry! You sound just like him and what happened in the end! He couldn't do a thing and only wound up in trouble himself! He'll die in there! And it's all my fault so don't you dare tell me 'don't worry'! Don't tell me anything! Leave me alone!"

He found himself half risen of the bed, hollowed chest heaving, lips curled in a vicious snarl. And she did nothing but look at him. The same clear eyes from the time when she broke bread with him.

He hated her. Hated everything.

_It's so unfair!_

"We'll get him out somehow." Anger rushed through Sasuke's body but was drowned out by the loud sob bubbling behind his lips.

"How!" cried Sasuke, voice breaking as he threw himself back against the pillow.

"I'll start working again," replied Sakura firmly. "I'll save up and I'll buy him. He's for a set price; I'll save that and get him back."

The silence grew thick between them before Sasuke moved his eyes, a calm black front covering churning insides. His voice betrayed him as he spoke.

"Can you really give those people money?"

Sakura stepped away, taken back.

"What do you mean?" Dark eyes back on the ceiling.

"If you pay them they'll stay in business right? Haven't you thought about it? Those children will stay there forever as long as that place is running. Can you really give those people money? You'll doom those kids."

"Why would you say something like that, Sasuke?" Sakura's voice was shrill and pitched up, bouncing painfully around in an echo.

Sasuke was sorry he'd said it but he couldn't help his mind being slave orientated. He was sorry he'd poisoned her good intentions. But every time someone was bought, with every payment, with every clink of gold on gold, he was sure it had crossed every slave's mind:

'_We'll never get out of here…'_

Sasuke closed his eyes as Sakura left the room, slamming the door.

.

.

.

"Sasuke, I'm putting some clothes on you now. Then I'm going to take a look at the bite." Kakashi spoke to him even as he pretended to be asleep. Warm hands lifting him with a supporting arm around him back, bending him over himself. He flopped forward and didn't open his eyes. Kakashi was threading his arms through the arm holes of some piece of clothing.

"Sasuke, I know you're awake. I don't care if you don't open your eyes but help me a little, ne?"

Sasuke sat up by himself and opened his eyes to slits. His body felt heavy. The room was warm with sunlight. He must have slept through the night. His leg held a painless throb. He wriggled his toes as Kakashi arranged the clothing that Sasuke now recognized as a gown under him and half way down his thighs. His careful hands and strong arms then lowered Sasuke back against the pillows. The doctor began to undress the leg that Sasuke now saw was casted with bulky dressings. Underneath it revealed black rotting flesh and the open wound, still sporting a yellow pus center. Kakashi clicked his tongue and shuffled across the room for new dressings. Sasuke turned his head away into the pillows, breathing in the cozy smell of his own hair that seemed to have been washed with a shampoo.

He didn't want to do anything.

He couldn't do anything.

Lying there was so much easier than thinking. Floating in the warm sunlight and letting Kakashi take care of the rest…

Sasuke was vaguely aware of the fact that Sakura wasn't in the room anymore. She must still be mad. She must have gone home. Maybe she was in another room. He didn't know.

He didn't know a lot of things.

Like what Naruto was doing. Or how he was doing.

That wound…

"Sasuke." Kakashi's call drew him from his hazy thoughts. He lolled his head sideways towards the other man's voice. "Sasuke, I gave you something to numb your leg but I don't think it will get better on its own. I'll have to drain it. Tomorrow probably."

Sasuke nodded slowly.

_Do whatever you want. I just want to float here in the sunlight. I don't want to think. I don't want to feel…_

"It will take a while to recover, Sasuke. You could stand yesterday but after draining, you won't be able to walk properly for a while. You should go and see Naruto before that happens."

The boy's breathing hitched and he opened his eyes properly, squinting at the light.

"Sakura will take you," said Kakashi.

"I don't want to go," replied Sasuke and the doctor seemed surprised that he'd spoken. His one dark eye was watching Sasuke closely.

"What kind of relationship do you have with Naruto? Can you just throw him away like that?"

The raven quickly turned his face away.

"We don't really have a relationship." Despite himself, Sasuke could feel a blush creeping up his neck. He clenched his eyes shut and rolled his shoulder so that he faced his back to Kakashi. The older man sighed.

"Sakura told me everything you know. She said you and Naruto are lovers." Sasuke tensed, split scenes of kisses and touching invading his mind.

_Naruto._

"We're not lovers," whispered Sasuke. Kakashi's hand lingered on his injured leg a moment before he walked toward the door, pausing before he left.

"Sakura will take you tomorrow," he told Sasuke, leaving the teen curled on his side, fighting to find the floating sunlight.

But with just one mention of Naruto, with just the blonde's _name,_ it was gone.

.

.

.

Amazingly enough, Sakura did come the next day. She was dressed in a simple white dress and was wearing a coat. Sasuke was glad, it hid her thin arms. Her hair was combed and shorter than the last time he'd seen her. She must have cut away the split ends. They stood together in the doorway; Sasuke unsteady because he refused crutches, for a long while before she, unsmiling, invited him away with her: "Let's go." She didn't use his name.

Sasuke didn't wear pants on the outing. He wore the gown Kakashi had dressed him in and one of the other man's heavy jackets. It was chilly and breezy outside and the young Uchiha spent most of the slow walk toward town holding down the sides of the gown. Sakura had to pause often to wait for Sasuke to catch his breath. His leg didn't hurt much thanks to whatever Kakashi had given him, but it was heavy and awkward; like it didn't belong to his body anymore.

Nearing the slave quarters something stuck in Sasuke's throat and he thought he was going to vomit. The urge to be sick only got worse as just up the road, Sakura turned to him and smiled.

"You shouldn't make such a horrible face, Sasuke. You'll make Naruto sad."

The smile was unnerving and Sasuke was sure that just as he could see it faltering at the edges, Naruto too, would see through it. She kept looking at him until he smoothed his expression to emotionless.

They walked into the line of the open front slave quarters and Sasuke couldn't breathe.

"Sakura, Sasuke!" The blonde was sitting right where Sasuke had sat the first time Naruto had come to visit. He was leant up against the wall with his legs crossed and hands in his lap. He tried to move but winced, bringing fingers to trail along where the cut from the guard was. Sasuke was sure he was going to throw up.

"Don't move Naruto, you might rip the stitches. Here, I bought you something for the pain."

"T-thanks, it actually hurts more now than it did when it happened. I guess I wasn't really focused on it at the time haha…"

"It's because it's colder today, it'll ache."

"Yeah. But I'll be alright, I heal pretty quick. Ah- Sasuke, how's your leg. I bet ya can't really sit down with it. You look so tall all the way up there, even though I'm bigger than you. Funny huh?"

He couldn't speak. He wasn't even sure what he was seeing.

_Did Naruto look like this before?_

Shadowed eyes and raggy hair overgrown. He was thin from worry over Sakura and Sasuke. The smile on his stupid face looked tight.

Sasuke's good leg buckled and he went down on one knee, not feeling the pain it should have caused.

"Hehe, there you are, I can actually see ya now," said Naruto, looking to Sasuke, smiling at him with his goofy grin and endless blue eyes. Sasuke licked his lips and for some reason found himself lifting a hand toward the other boy.

"Eh? What is it, Sasuke?" Naruto blinked at the incoming hand, smiling unsurely as Sasuke's hand came to rest on his face, stroking under his eye with his thumb.

For a moment the two were lost in the moment and Sasuke felt something swell inside him; Naruto was warm, still alive. His skin against Sasuke's was warm…

_Naruto's skin…_

And then he saw it.

Against his hand, so pale and clean. Naruto's skin. Naruto's warm skin, filmed with a disturbing grey colour that he knew all too well. All of a sudden, Naruto's cheek bone against his palm was horrifying.

_I shouldn't be able to feel it that much! _

Wheeling back, stumbling to his feet, Sasuke retreated with a cry, wild eyes at Naruto's wrists, the exposed length of his forearm revealed by his rolled up sleeves. It was all over him! That grey! That grey!

_No, no, no, no…_

It looked like death. Sasuke never recognized it as such when it had tinged both his and Sakura's skin but now he saw it. That grey, it looked just like death.

Eyes on Naruto's bandaged chest showing at the neck of his shirt. The creeping grey across Naruto's once so healthy collar bone. Sasuke shook his head from side to side slowly, backing up into the street. People who walked by yelled at him but he went on shaking his head.

"Sasuke? What's wrong?"

"Oi, Sasuke, what are you doing?"

With a horrified roar, Sasuke surged sideways in a clumsy lunge and started off up the street.

_I put that there! That grey! I put that there! On him! On Naruto! I put that there! It's all my fault! _

He didn't make it far, his legs giving out a little way up the road. Sasuke crumpled onto his side. When he was a slave he hadn't noticed people going by; he hadn't been a watcher there, he'd had bigger things to worry about, but now, the sound of footsteps going past him was incredibly loud. He was shaking.

He didn't know how long he lay there but after what felt like forever, Sakura appeared beside him.

"Can you get up?" she asked. Sasuke tried to help himself, realizing how stupid and pathetic he looked lying in the middle of the road, but in the end Sakura had to do most of the work in dragging him to his feet and making him take steps toward home. All the while Sasuke's mind was racing.

As a child he'd never really had friends. His family had been fairly well off and he spent a lot of time at home by himself or toddling after his older brother. But one day all that had changed and Sasuke had ended up on the streets. No one cared for him then, no one had worried or done anything for him. He'd learned to steal and sleep wherever he could. No one saw him.

And then he'd become a slave, and still, no one cared for him. By that point the soft touch of his mother's hands was lost and he didn't think anyone would ever make an effort for him ever again; he would be going off to some big house to be worked to the bone anyway.

And then Naruto had come along and everything changed again. He thought he was used to it; the sunny man looking after him with the dobe-y grin of his. Doing all those things for him. He was sure he could handle that by now. Even when Naruto had bought him he'd been so happy he didn't have time to think about how much trouble it would cause the blonde. Because Naruto too was so happy about it.

But seeing Naruto behind those bars for Sasuke's sake, seeing him touch the knife wound that was all because of Sasuke…

He just didn't know how to handle the smile Naruto still gave him after he'd caused the other man so much trouble… and pain. Even now he was hurting Naruto. Despite knowing what it was like, knowing that ridiculous warm feeling you got when someone came to visit, Sasuke hadn't been able to smile. He'd recoiled like Naruto had burnt him and run away…

.

.

.

At Kakashi's door Sakura stopped on the step and Sasuke asked her where she was going. The emotion in Sasuke's voice seemed to move the woman but she squared her shoulders and turned back to show her hard expression.

"You're pathetic," she said, trying to sound firm and hard but her green eyes were glistening with tears that soon came spilling down her cheeks. "You're pathetic, Sasuke! I can't believe you did that today! You're the person he loves the most and you show him that face? You ran away from him, Sasuke!" She raised a hand, moving to slap the young man, but it trembled and did nothing before dropping back to her side. She stepped out into the street, wiping her eyes on the arm of her coat.

"You better get your act together, Sasuke. Before I bring Naruto home, you better get a grip." She bowed curtly to Kakashi who stood behind Sasuke in the door.

"I'll start work tomorrow, see you then, Sensei."

Sasuke stared after her and continued to stare after her over Kakashi's shoulder as the doctor carried him back to bed. The rest of the day and all of the night, Sasuke didn't sleep. There was no way he could go back to floating in the sunlight now.


	12. Chapter 12

_Hey there guys,_

_I'm afraid this story is almost done, just so you know. I'm somehow not very good at ending stories so I'm sorry if it seems sudden lol. There will be an epilogue and stuff after probably one more chapter to round things up though. _

_Anyway, as always I hope you enjoy the chapter~ _

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><p>The day after visiting Kakashi drained Sasuke's bite. The boy wasn't sure what it had felt like while he was doing it since the doctor had put him to sleep with something in the tea he'd had prior, but it must have been excruciating if this was what the aftermath was like. The skin around the bite no longer felt strained and his heartbeat didn't pulse there anymore but every time Sasuke moved there was an eruption of pain from the loose open wound, lightly but securely dressed. Not that Sasuke did a lot of moving. He mostly lay in bed, knowing he should mortified by the way Kakashi and Sakura fed, watered, dressed and bathed him. But he couldn't bring himself to care. All his stupid pride did was make other people miserable. The opposite of refusing to be fussed over, letting everyone else do all the work for him, that had to be better somehow, right?<p>

Sasuke didn't know. He knew that his pride made everyone hurt and sad. But he also knew that lying around being miserable wasn't making anyone happy either. Especially not Sakura.

The nurse had come back to work and was pottering around at a counter across from Sasuke's bed when the raven had come to after the draining. She'd taken a quick look at the result- without eye contact- and been on her way, smoothing out the simple white uniform dress she wore.

From behind his curtained off section of the small surgery Sasuke watched the shadow of Sakura treating the minor wounds or redressing previous injuries. She laughed and he could hear her friendly manner with the patients but none of it translated into her care for Sasuke and he didn't make any effort to correct what was very wrong between them. On her lunch breaks and straight after work Sakura hurried for her coat and shoes and probably left to see Naruto. After the first few days she seemed to have cooled off a bit and come and asked Sasuke who lay with his dead eyes and lifeless expression facing the other wall, "do you want me to tell Naruto anything?". The man had said nothing, not moved, not made any sound. The woman had huffed and then left and not asked him since. When she came to clean him with her sponge and warm soapy water her eyes didn't try to meet Sasuke's so he stared at the ceiling.

When Kakashi redressed his wound and occasionally was the one bringing him food he either said nothing or there was a strained kind of smile beneath his mask that didn't seem to reach his eyes.

'_He probably hates me for getting his loved ones involved in something like this.'_

Sasuke could have sworn the way his medication for the infection made his stomach churn and cramp was some sort of revenge.

One morning Sasuke woke to Kakashi.

"Your bite is healing. You don't have to stay in bed anymore. You don't actually have to be here anymore. You're fit to go home, wherever that is." And then he left and Sasuke had gone back to sleep, ignoring him.

He'd then woken to Sakura. She wasn't waiting for him to slip into consciousness the same way Kakashi had been. She was just simply there, sitting on a stool by his bed. Eyes out the window. And then, without taking her eyes from the outside scene, she spoke.

"Someone came to look at slaves today while I was there." Sasuke blinked.

'_When you were where?' _

His hazy mind couldn't interpret what she was saying.

"A man. He came in and looked right at Naruto. I think he's interested in buying him."

"buying…?" slurred Sasuke. Sakura's head snapped to him and he thought he could see a relief in her eyes, like she was happy he'd spoken. But all too quickly a dark hue seeped in as she nodded.

"And I don't even have the money to buy proper food yet… What are we going to do, Sasuke?" Inside his chest, Sasuke felt a strange full at the collective 'we'. He struggled up into a sitting position and considered Sakura at his side. Until now, she had seemed light and fresh, smiling and laughing for the patients and when she'd been with him he hadn't bothered to look her way to examine her expressions. But now, he found her still thin and tired. Her arms were crossed over her middle. She looked tense. Tears shone across the pink, unslept rims of her eyes. Sasuke watched her bite them back.

"What can we do?" asked Sasuke hoarsely, but the question didn't sound helpful like he'd wanted it to and Sakura scowled unpleasantly at him. He'd sounded like he had before. He'd sounded like he was telling her it was hopeless. Just like he always was.

The stool stumbled as she stood abruptly.

"Maybe you should be a little more concerned about his fate! What do you have after this! You're taking up space here and you'll have to leave sometime! With Naruto a household slave what will you do! You've got nothing! I can live-" She struck her chest with her hand. "—I have a job, family, a home. But Naruto was the one who invited you to live there so what will you do without him, Sasuke? What will you do without…"

With a loud, strangled sob Sakura's fierce words crumbled, unable to go on. This time the stool clattered to the ground as she turned heel and dashed out of the room.

The air was cold and it pained the boy to breathe. He wasn't in much pain from his leg but somewhere inside, it hurt. The shiny leg of the fallen stool pushed bright sunlight into his eyes. For a very long moment, Sasuke was frozen in that position, sitting awkwardly propped by his elbows, staring at the place where Sakura had stood. Both her and Kakashi's words were going round and round in his head, their expressions flitting across his wide eyed vision.

'_What will I do? I can go 'home'… But N…Na… Naruto…' _

His calloused feet touched gingerly against the cold floor. As he eased himself into a standing position the gown he was still wearing swished around his long legs. He tested himself, lifting one foot and carefully placing it down in a step. When he transferred his weight from his arms gripping the side of his bed to his feet both his knees tried to buckle, weak from not being used properly. With a soft cry, Sasuke lunged for the windowsill, quickly supporting him with the ledge. His panting in effort breath fogged the glass. It took a full minute or two before Sasuke's fingers fumbled for the crutches he knew were leant somewhere around there.

With his hands firmly gripping the crutches and the supports tucked securely under his arms. He tried again, this time with more success. He knew he looked ridiculous and he could only imagine what a still painfully skinny slave with his shoulders hunched awkwardly over crutches slightly too long for him, looking like the pressure might dislocate his joints, looked like. The mental image was disturbing even to himself; his thin legs poking out the bottom of the unshapely hospital gown. But even so, he started for the door. He didn't know where Kakashi was or if he would try to talk to him but that didn't matter.

"He said I should go home," ground out Sasuke, as he made it into the hallway, gradually becoming better with the crutches.

Swinging himself forward on the crutches and kicking the door open with his good foot, Sasuke was outside and off down the road.

.

.

.

He'd come a long way from the hospital. A very long way indeed. He'd hobbled to the edge of town and flagged down someone taking goods to the next city and hitched a ride( unsure he had the will power to get there himself) ,arriving back where all of this had started. He'd gone right through town, past the stalls with fabrics and food, eyes in a straight line. Sasuke wasn't scared anymore because he knew the slave takers had left this city the night Naruto had rescued him.

He'd taken sometime to stand out front of his previous slave quarters, stationed panting and aching right where Naruto would have stood in front his window. When he leant in to look, his apple crate was still there. Someone must have taken the flask and blanket he'd had that night. The ground inside looked uneven and it was so dark. He didn't know how he'd lived there. Sasuke left when he let his eyes wander to the spot where Moritaka had laid him out and raped him.

Through the city he walked, taking in new parts that weren't the same as before he'd been a slave. He hadn't really seen much of the place since then. He saw new gardens and new stalls. Lots of shop keepers he didn't know. No one seemed to recognize him.

And then all at once he was nearing the outskirts and he'd taken the first left and then the next right and ended up somewhere he was sure he would never come back to.

The Uchiha Manor.

Before him it was ruined and old. The yard was overgrown and intruding onto the path that stretched from the quaint fence to the front door. Sasuke dropped one crutch and pried the rusted gate open, continuing with one support. He felt numb as he walked, dark eyes watching the house loom over him as he got closer. Many of the windows were broken and the door was kicked in. He was sure that once he was inside- his body seemed to be taking him in without his mind's consent- that he'd find many of the family's valuables gone. At the left upper room the brick was black from the fire that had broken out that fateful day in the struggle.

The floorboards creaked like they hadn't when Sasuke lived here and suddenly the young Uchiha wished he had worn shoes. He stood in the entrance way, trying to decide whether he should continue, if he should say anything. The room that opened from the entry into a living and dining area was dark because the curtains across the windows on the other side of the room were drawn. Sasuke wrinkled his nose and then jumped as _'it was Itachi's turn to open the curtains'_ crossed his mind. He stood uncomfortably before squaring his shoulders, leaning heavily on his crutch and starting forward with a short bark of "Sorry for intruding!" Something in the house was calling to him.

.

.

.

Naruto had to admit, being a slave was harder than he thought. Never in his life had he been so hungry! Because never in his life had he been without food. Even in the time where he'd spent every waking moment trying to find a way to get Sakura and Sasuke out, he'd still eaten a little or not felt hungry at all. But now he was hungry!

And the ground was uncomfortable. He had no idea how Sasuke had sat in the same place, same position, day after day after day. His muscles kept going dead or cramping and with the slash across his chest, he didn't have a lot of different ways of sitting available. At least he had his boots. And pants. Sasuke hadn't had pants or underwear the first time he was a slave. But still, it was harder than he'd imagined.

Sakura's visits helped though. He didn't want to say he was upset since it would only freak Sakura out but he actually was a bit- more than a bit hurt about what had happened with Sasuke. He didn't know what he'd done wrong or what Sasuke seemed to have seen at that time, but he was pretty sure it was all to do with him. And Sasuke's face had been so… scared. Not that scared he'd been when he woke up in tears over nightmares he wouldn't tell Naruto about. Not the kind that Naruto could bundle up in his arms and duvet and shush and kiss to comfort. It was more like, horror.

But if Sakura didn't come to see him, Naruto was certain he'd be more distraught over Sasuke than he was now. Afterall, Sakura was looking after Sasuke, she'd told him that.

She told him Kakashi had fished all that gross pus out of Sasuke's spider bite so it would heal nice and clean now. She told him that the wound now had this thin little skin on it that meant it was healing. Naruto was happy about that.

She said Sasuke was just too sore right now to come and see him and would probably come back again when he was better.

Naruto wasn't sure he believed that part. Not after Sasuke's face.

Sasuke.

So far, Naruto had spent a lot of time thinking about Sasuke. Unfortunate circumstances aside, he'd been pretty happy with whatever it was they had. Sasuke had forgiven him for the terrible things he'd done to him the night he got drunk and he'd depended on Naruto to comfort him when Sakura was squeezing his bite. And not that he liked seeing Sasuke so distressed, but the way he'd screamed for him after Naruto had traded himself was kind of good too.

But then Sasuke's face. How did Sasuke feel about him now? For Naruto it was already clear to both himself and hopefully Sasuke too, that he was in love with the Uchiha. He'd been taken with him the first time they'd spoken.

'_What does Sasuke think about me though?'_

However right now what Naruto was thinking about as he paced he played snap with the children he'd quickly befriended, was the man who had come during Sakura's visit today- 'Jiraiya' he'd said his name was- and his fate. Sakura had assured Naruto that she'd buy his way out just as soon as she could and until today Naruto had believed that would happen, no matter how long it took. Because when Naruto was trying to get Sasuke out no one had interfered and tried to buy him either time.

The man had simply waltzed in and ruined that plan. His sharp eyes had quickly surveyed the smaller children and then lit up when he spotted Naruto, the much bigger, older and stronger option. He hadn't said "I'll take him" yet, but he did say he'd be back tomorrow. Naruto had looked to Sakura who had tried to reassure him that everything would be fine without reasons as to how it could possibly be fine before quickly taking her leave telling him she too, would be back tomorrow.

Not "I'll come back later" like she usually did, she always came twice in the day and this was only the first time.

"Tomorrow." The blond guessed that wasn't good.

He considered 'Jiraiya' again.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad? The older man didn't look like the type that was here for a sex slave and he'd looked a bit sad when he passed his eyes over the children.

Jiraiya was well built, Naruto could tell which suggested he hadn't just inherited wealth or prestige. He seemed like he had genuinely come in search of some help around the house. Not to enslave someone and kick back while they did the work, just some free help.

Naruto smiled as he gently but swiftly brought his hand down and cried "snap".

'_Maybe he'll let me have days off or something and I can go see Sasuke'_

Maybe.

_._

_._

_._

Despite her promise of "tomorrow", Sakura did come back that day. At night and in a bit of a state. In her practical shoes and warm coat she dropped to her knees and roused Naruto with a rough shake of his shoulder.

"Mghm, w-wha? What is it Sakura?" Her eyes were liquid-shiny in the moonlight.

"Sasuke," she said. "Sasuke's missing!" Naruto sat bolt upright and then staggered to his feet.

"What! Where could he have gone! Isn't he too sore to move!" Sakura shook her head. When she spoke her voice jumped anxiously.

"I told him about that man coming today and got mad at him. When I came back his bed was empty and Kakashi sensei didn't see him leave either!" At this point Kakashi appeared by Sakura's side, breathing heavily from running.

"Kakashi sensei! Where's Sasuke!" The man too shook his head.

"I couldn't find him, we've looked everywhere." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "It's my fault, I told him he could go home today without thinking about whether he has somewhere to go home to. He was a slave for a while right?"

"Yeah," replied Naruto quietly.

They stood in silence.

"He should have told someone where he was going!" spat Sakura, trying to be angry but more worried than anything. Naruto was massaging his temples as Kakashi put a warm hand on her shoulder.

"There's nothing we can do now. Maybe he'll come back. We'll look again tomorrow if he doesn't. He can't have gotten far with that leg of his."

Sakura sighed and made a sound of reluctant agreement before turning back to Naruto.

"I'm sorry," she told him quietly. "I said I'd look after him for you and now this has happened."

"Nah, I made him upset that day. It's my fault he's like this now." The blond took Sakura's hand through the bars and looked into her eyes. Jiraiya's "I'll be back tomorrow" echoed in his head.

"Whatever happens," he whispered, tightening his grip. "Keep looking after him for me."

The girl's eyes widened. Naruto didn't smile when she showed him a crooked tug of her mouth. She still looked sad and he knew she understood what he was implying.

"You can look after him all on your own. He's not my lover."

Naruto's chest ached as Sakura ignored the possibility of him not being able to do it himself.

"He'd be sad to hear you are too lazy to tend to him yourself, Naruto."

The boy laughed tightly and allowed himself to slip into the act even as the two looked at each other with heartbreak in their eyes.

'_What if Sasuke doesn't come back? What if I'm sold tomorrow? What if I never see anyone ever again? What if I can never say sorry to Sasuke?'_

"That's true. He's such a crybaby even though he pretends to be strong. I'll have to look after him a lot."

They dropped their hands and Kakashi steered Sakura away.

"See you tomorrow, Naruto."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

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><p><em>Yeeeeep, Naruto's POV wriggled it's way in. Because he wants to complain about not eating and sitting too much.<em>


	13. Chapter 13

_Bawww~! I'm sorry I flaked on you guys so close to the end! I have exams and life and uni preparation and being told we're moving house and just! GUH-! This is the last chapter but there will be an epilogue of sorts so stay tuned! Thank you so much to everyone for reading! You're all awesome! :DDD_

_Love youuu!_

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><p>By morning there had been no sign of Sasuke at the slave quarters or at Kakashi's surgery. He hadn't been back to the house either; Sakura told Naruto when she came back the next day. For a long time they just sat next to the bars together in silence.<p>

What were they going to do? Sasuke had been gone all night and he had only just come into a state of being capable of moving around on his own; not even that. Sakura said the crutches that had been in his room were missing too. Just how far had he been able to go on such unsteady legs? Was he ok?

Naruto couldn't help the images of Sasuke lying in a ditch somewhere that passed through his mind. All painfully white skin and dead black eyes… The blonde shuddered and Sakura told him to stop biting the nail he hadn't realized he'd been chewing on. He moved his eyes to where the girl sat next to him, sitting on the side of the road, pressed close to the bars that separated them. Her eyes were watching a trail of ants marching before them. Sasuke used to watch ants too; with a scary lost look in his eyes. Sakura had that too and it made Naruto uneasy but he couldn't look away from her.

To be honest he wasn't sure what it was he was seeing. The nurse certainly looked lost but Naruto somehow couldn't accept that that was how she was feeling. Sakura always had the answer to everything. He remembered her when they were children always being that smartmouthed girl his parents friends bought over. He'd taken a while to get past that and find the rest of who Sakura was. After that they'd always been good friends; family. The only reckless thing he'd ever heard her say with any sort of confidence was as she bandaged up his head the night they'd busted out Sasuke.

"_If he's that important obviously we're going to rescue him. Money is just money; I can make more, Naruto!" _

And then she'd complained about it. And in the end, money hadn't proven to be just money. Money for them, with these situations they'd found themselves in, had been essential and never there when they needed it. Look where they were now. Sakura blamed herself for Sasuke running away after confronting the man with her money troubles and buying Naruto and Naruto was almost sure to be sold today if Jiraiya came back. And they still had no money. After all the drama you'd think they'd be cut a break or something!

Naruto shifted his dead legs and blinked, bringing himself out of his observing Sakura.

"What do I do if they sell you and Sasuke never comes back?" Sakura's question broke the silence between the two and Naruto blinked three times fast, surprised by the wet burbling noises that passed the girls lips. She was crying.

"H-hey, it's gonna be ok… I mean-"

"How!" Sakura turned to him and pushed her face close to the bars. Her bright green eyes moved quickly across Naruto's face, searching him. "How can it be ok!"

"Sakura…" She sighed loudly and fell back from him, settling herself on her knees.

"God… I sound just like Sasuke. He kept saying to me "how"… He was right." Her shoulders were shaking.

"I'm so s-sorry, Naruto. I'm a mess. I don't know what to do. I mean how much do I even know about Sasuke? How much do you know?" She wiped her nose and breathed in shakily.

"I know lots about Sasuke."

"No you don't. Y-You don't know anything about who he is. You don't know what his past is like, that's why we can't find him, don't you see?"

Something went still in Naruto's chest. And then it went cold.

"The Sasuke we know's favourite place is by your side, Naruto. All he's ever done with us is stay at home or live as a slave. We don't know what he did before you knew him, we don't know where he spent his time, where he would go at a time like this. The only time he's run away we never had the chance to see if he would have come back on his own, how he handles things like this." She stopped. Naruto watched her with wide eyes.

A few long moments crept past with Sakura sniffing and making defeated gestures with her hands falling loudly to her thighs. Naruto just sat.

"I have to go back to work now." Sakura stood and Naruto's eyes followed her desperately.

"Don't go!" She didn't look his way and the blonde couldn't understand whether it was because she felt guilty or because she blamed him. Or both.

"I have to go." She made steps forward and disappeared beyond the wall.

"Sakura…" Naruto stayed frozen for a while before falling back against the side of the slave quarters. A strong ache flared in his chest with the jolt impact with the wall made but it wasn't half as painful as the strange emptiness he could feel deep inside.

He felt so defeated. Sakura had suddenly gotten so blunt and now there was nothing to keep him from an anguish that had been filling him for days. Everything had gone so wrong. When he met Sasuke he was sure that with a feeling so warm and bright that in the end everything would turn out right. With a love as strong as the one he felt for Sasuke, they just had to be happily together, right? He'd been so pleased when they'd rescued Sasuke. Living with him was like a dream. They did shopping together and Sakura cooked and lived with them too and it was like a real little family. And then even when they had faced difficulty again, Naruto had saved the day again; been Sasuke's hero just like he'd always wanted to be because God knew that boy was always needing to be saved.

Just sit and wait, he'd thought. All I have to do is sit and wait.

But no.

No.  
>No.<p>

No.

He didn't want to be sold. He didn't want Sasuke to be lost. He didn't want Sakura to live in Naruto's house all by herself with Naruto's things all over the place. He didn't want to have to go and work and never see anyone again. He didn't want them all to be apart.

Inside him, there were parts missing. Sakura's smile, Sasuke's snarky comments, laughter he'd heard around the dinner table. Where was that now?

In the corner of the slave quarters Naruto curled in on himself. His arms came to pull at the shoulders of his shirt, trying to close himself off, trying to create something to hide himself inside. Children were watching him with owlish eyes but he couldn't find the strength to be fun and happy with them. He couldn't find hope.

.

.

.

Naruto didn't know how much time had passed and it was incredibly disorientating for him. Even though it was daytime it was so strange to not know what time it was. Because before this he'd had things to do at certain times. Times to eat, times to sleep, times to visit Sasuke and more recently Sakura. Lying on his side, he squinted at the shadows of the bars stretching across the ground toward him, trying to somehow tell the time from the shadows. But he'd never learnt to do that. There was a weird stirring in his stomach that felt like nervousness and the blonde spent two or three moments trying to identify what he was nervous about before he realized it wasn't nervousness, it was fear. He was scared. And that too was very strange for him. When he was little and was scared he'd cried. When he was scared at this age he lashed out to protect himself, or always had protection with him; Sakura. But to lie and drown in fear was new.

He wanted Sasuke. He didn't care how upset or abusive the raven would be, he just wanted Sasuke. But Sasuke wasn't here. Naruto was afraid he was dead. He was scared that there was no one else he wanted. He didn't want Sakura or Kakashi. He wasn't even reaching out for the memory of his parents.

Sasuke.

Suddenly, there was the groan of hinges moving a heavy door and footfalls on the ground that pounded into Naruto's ear drum. Huge boots in his line of vision.

"Hey there Bud, you don't look so good. What happened to yesterday's Blondie?"

At first Naruto thought it was the guard talking to him but quickly figured out that it was Jiraiya back again. The end of the other male's long white ponytail twirled into a neat little pile behind him as he knelt down. Naruto lay very still, scared even though the other man was expressing concern for the state of the slave.

"Hm?" A prompt that Naruto didn't reply to. A hand in his hair, pushing the messy bangs off his forehead.

"Kid, I came back to get you out of here and now you're looking like you're not fit for the job," Jiraiya's voice was light and curious. He seemed to have a genuine interest in the blonde who was lying on the ground, arms wrapped around himself, mind going a million miles a minute.

_What do I do? What do I do? Should I respond? Should I tell him my story? Will he care? What about Sasuke? Could he help me find Sasuke if he buys me? Where's Sasuke? I want Sasuke? What do I do?_

Slowly the boy struggled into a sitting position and blinked at the man. Jiraiya leaned in to examine his face, taking his chin between thumb and finger and making another long humming noise.

"You're white as milk, Boy. What's wrong with you?" Naruto's eyes scanned the room beyond the man, taking in the children watching with interest. When he opened his mouth to speak his voice was dry and he had to lick him lips and clear his throat before anything would happen.

"Could you buy one of them?" he asked, trying to sound as polite as possible. In response, Jiraiya's eyebrows shot up and he laughed.

"They're not exactly what I'm looking for." Naruto's shifted his eyes nervously.

"Please, can't you take one of them?"

"Sorry no can do."

"Please!"

"Why are you so persistent about it!" Naruto flinched as Jiraiya raised his voice. The man stood back with his hands on his hips.

"I ain't gonna do anything bad to you, you should be grateful for this. What are you so hung up about, Boy?" Naruto's arms came back around himself. In the silence he could hear the guard's dulled conversation with someone beyond the door.

"Come on." A large hand took purchase on Naruto's upper arm, yanking it from where it was holding him together. The force hauled him to his feet.

"No! Please!"

"What are talking about, I've never met a slave that didn't _want _to be bought." Jiraiya was pulling him towards the door. Naruto's heartbeat was pounding in his ears and his chest was aching. The stitches were pulling, noises were loud.

"_We don't auction here, Kid. We sell at a set price. That one is already gone."_ The guard's conversation.

"_I have more than the asked price, you can't be saying no to more money, can you?" _

Tripping over his own feet, Naruto was dragged out into the blinding light of the outside world and the person the guard was having his chat with stopped mid sentence.

"I'm telling you he's-"

Eyes still adjusting to the bright light, Naruto saw nothing but the dapper young man standing before the guard. In what seemed in slow motion to the blonde, the man moved his deep eyes to where the slave stood, held awkwardly at the arm, in the doorway. Naruto breathed in through his nose so long that it made him dizzy and the edges of the faded jacket the man was wearing over his shoulders went crisp and sharp. Blue eyes examined the neat pants the other was wearing, the white shirt tucked in, his dark hair tied in a small and tidy ponytail to keep the long hair that annoyed him so, off his neck. Gold jingled in the bag he was holding as he shifted his weight to face Naruto, leaning heavily on the one crutch he was sporting, tucked under his arm and inside the cover of his jacket. At his foot was a bigger bag; a small suitcase with worn buckles.

"S-Sasuke… You're…" The other's popped open in surprised lips closed gently and then lifted into a soft smirk. A warm flooded into Naruto.

"Stop making that face, Dobe," said Sasuke before turning his eyes away from Naruto and interrupting anything the blonde was going to continue with.

"What's going on here?" asked Jiraiya. Naruto was still staring at Sasuke. "What's the trouble, young man?" He addressed Sasuke who turned to him with an even expression.

"I want that boy you're holding right there," he replied calmly and Naruto felt the urge to touch Sasuke to make sure he was actually there. He went to move forward but Jiraiya had a tight grip on him.

"Sorry but you're a bit too late. He's mine."

"No, he's mine. I assure you, this idiot belongs to me." Sasuke retaliated unfazed. Naruto felt Jiraiya's confusion at the familiarity, the possessive note in Sasuke's tone.

"Have you paid for him?" questioned Sasuke. His dark eyes met Naruto's briefly before attention was diverted back to Jiraiya and Naruto noticed how tense the atmosphere was, how tense Sasuke was, how the side of his body taking the weight had begun to visibly shudder. He looked up and saw Jiraiya narrow his eyes.

"Why do you want him so bad?" The older man asked Sasuke the question carefully, his grip on Naruto simultaneously loosening to the point where the blonde slid from his fingers and crept over to Sasuke's side, touching his arm to Sasuke's. The stubborn raven wouldn't lean on him even as he offered the support. Naruto couldn't help the smile on his lips. He wanted to touch Sasuke, hug him, kiss him. He wanted to talk with him, yell at him. He wanted to cry all over him and make him embarrassed and moody. He wanted to laugh at his fancy get-up when Sasuke had once gotten so angry at him for wearing the clothes of "a young master". He wanted to tease him about his serious business face while at the same time admiring how well he was managing himself.

Jiraiya was watching them.

There was silence before:

"I love him." All at once Naruto's chest was full and he _really _couldn't help the grin that exploded onto his face despite the edgy air between both parties. He had to try very hard to contain the happy little high pitched whine that wanted to whistle through his teeth. For a moment he completely forgot that at any moment Jiraiya would get angry and drag him off to some new life because he had been there first. But right now there was nothing but him, Sasuke and the three little words that had passed Sasuke's lips.

Although Sasuke was still tense and deadly serious and wouldn't look to him.

Instead of being the small Sasuke that Naruto looked down on fondly, he was strong and courageous, here fighting for Naruto to live freely again. He was so enchanted by Sasuke's mere presence, there by his side once more that he didn't see the silent conversation between the two buyers, didn't see Jiraiya shake his head with a small smile and a loud huff. It was only when Sasuke moved away to dump his bag of money down on a rickety wooden table that Naruto looked around. Jiraiya was half way to the street, Sasuke was watching him go, all straight back and tight shoulders, glaring at the man even as he held his hands up with a chuckle and called out, "Ok, Ok, he's yours, I get it!"

When Jiraiya was safely up the street and Naruto and Sasuke were out, standing next to the bars that had once housed both of them, the raven deflated and leaned even more heavily on his crutch. Naruto quickly came to his side and gently pulled the support from under Sasuke's tender armpit. It clattered noisily onto the ground and Sasuke's jacket slipped from his shoulders as Naruto, as carefully as he could, pulled Sasuke forward.

One arm around the other's waist, taking his weight from his feet there, and the other along his spine, dirty hand in unwashed hair. They stood in the middle of the road pressed together. Sasuke didn't return the embrace but Naruto didn't care. Through the thin material of Sasuke's clean, white shirt, Naruto could feel his heat. He was alive. Thank _God _he was alive. And they were free. Finally free! No one they loved was sitting behind those bars anymore and Naruto was so happy he didn't know what to do. Had it all just happened that quickly? That simply? It had been just minutes ago that he sat, losing his faith in happy endings behind those bars, wishing for Sasuke.

He couldn't even comprehend what was happening. For other people, they may have collapsed with relief, exhausted, but Naruto was so… _full_.

He didn't know what to do with himself. With this much warmth.

So he stood in the street and held Sasuke. When hot tears came slipping from tightly clenched eyes, Sasuke's hand came to rest between Naruto's shoulder blades and he murmured close to Naruto's ear, "We're in the street, Dobe."

"I know, I know, Sasuke," he blubbered back.

"We should get you home. Sakura will be worried. Let me go. How can you be hugging me this tight when you've been living as a slave? Let me go, I said."

"I don't want to, I don't want you to disappear or something. This isn't a dream?"

The other's laughter was deep and rich and then Sasuke's other hand came up to grip at the material of his shirt too. The raven was muttering something about not wanting to lean on him incase his stitches came undone but Naruto didn't care. He squeezed Sasuke tighter and eventually the raven's weight fell fully against him, his legs giving out. They stayed a moment longer before Naruto, with quiet complaints from what Naruto found to be, in reality, a very tired Sasuke, lifted the other into his arms and started up the road.

"You went home?"

"Yeah, I went to look for money."

"And clothes."

"Yeah."

"Are your legs sore from all that walking?"

"Not really, are your legs sore from all that sitting?"

"Hell yes!"

.

.

.

At the surgery they were met with Sakura bursting into tears in front of a boy getting a nasty cut on his knee tended to and warm pats on the back from Kakashi. Sakura proceeded to do some yelling and feeble physical abuse before Kakashi broke it up and told her to take the two boys home with her and sleep.

On the way home Naruto was still in a state of disbelief. Had Sasuke felt like this when Naruto had rescued him the first time?

Sakura kept looking at him from the corner of her eye and kept offering to carry a now sleeping and becoming increasingly heavy as Naruto came down from Cloud Nine, Sasuke. But the blonde declined and they made the trip home in almost silence.

When they pushed open the door, the two of them murmured quiet "I'm home"s and then Naruto laid Sasuke down in their bed and tucked him in on the wall side. Just like he'd done before. The other man's sleeping face looked childish and at ease. Naruto smiled and very nearly lay down beside him; suddenly realizing how exhausted he actually was but then his stomach reminded him he was also extraordinarily hungry.

Sakura already had soup on the stove when he came in. Together, they sat and ate and Naruto decided this was the best soup in the history of liquid foods but it may have been influenced by how ravenous he was.

Sakura asked him if he was alright, how his chest was, how Sasuke seemed.

"I'm fine, it's fine, he's fine."

They elapsed into silence and slurping noises.

"It's a bit surreal," Sakura said quietly after a bit. Naruto lifted his bowl to drain the last of the soup before answering.

"It is," he agreed and then let his expression slip into an easy grin. Sakura, still highly strung, appeared taken back. She opened her mouth to tell him something he was sure went along the lines of "how can you be so relaxed after all that's happened!" but he quickly slid his hand across the table and took hers. She flinched and he laughed softly, giving it a squeeze that made her relax.

"It's ok Sakura, really." His tone was low and comforting and he maintained his smile even as tears welled in her eyes again and came spilling over her flushed cheeks.

"I- I-…" Again with the laughter. Naruto rose and rounded the table to come to her side. He ruffled her hair, bent to wipe her tears for her and then smiled as he peered into her face. She pouted and pushed him away and suddenly he was the big brother to her little sister instead of the usual, other way round.

"Let's just never leave the house again; all of us," she muttered as she stood to gather plates. Naruto headed towards the door, stretching and hearing 'pop's in his shoulders. He heard Sakura's hands still at the sink.

"Good night, Naruto."

"Na-night, Sakura."


	14. Epilogue

_Epilogue!~ The very last little bit of 'Day In, Day Out'. Thanks to everyone who has been reading this thing and even more thanks to those who have reviewed! You're seriously awesome :D_

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><p>"Hyuu~!" Naruto made an impressed whistling noise as he stood back with one arm up to shield his eyes. Before him, an old building stood, all freshly painted and new fixtures.<p>

"It's really coming along nowadays isn't it," commented Sakura on his left as they admired the place. "Much more fit for children." Naruto nodded.

The building in front of them was an orphanage that Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke had taken to coming to visit every now and then. As the stood at the gate, the big, wooden front doors swung open and the master of the establishment stuck his head out.

"Hey, you guys if you're out here you should come up and knock so we know!" He called, moving fully onto the concrete steps and putting his hands on his hips. Naruto giggled and Sasuke, on his right, snorted. Sakura stifled her own laughs behind her hand. There was no way to take the man seriously in his pretty yellow apron and the thin red headband he was wearing to keep hairs that strayed from his ponytail off his face.

"Ok Iruka sensei! We're coming in now!"

The small group came through the rusted, (next on the list to be fixed up) white gate and up the path. Taking advantage of the opened doors, a few children slipped out from behind Iruka and came running down the path to meet them. They were children who after Kakashi had written a stern and well worded letter, had been released from slavery. They now lived here under the care of Umino Iruka, most of their families lost in other towns or already passed away. They were happy here though.

"Naruto! Sakura! Sasuke!" Two boys ran circles around Sasuke and Naruto and the girl quickly came to Sakura's side, slipping her hand into the older female's. From the side of the orphanage building a few more kids appeared, including one particular young man with a shiny bowl cut and thick eyebrows who approached Sakura with a grin and a flower clutched in his hand.

"You look very pretty today too, Miss Sakura," he told her, offering the flower and Naruto and one of the other boys sniggered to each other. Sakura took the flower graciously and allowed the boy to hold her free hand.

"Why thank you, Lee."

They proceeded inside and more and more children appeared from sun rooms and bedrooms full of bunk beds. As they walked down the hallway, one of the little ragamuffins that Naruto had come to know as 'Kiba' tried to sneak up on Sasuke but before he could pounce on the young Uchiha, Naruto grabbed him by the collar and dragged him in front of him, pushing him toward the shy girl named 'Hinata'. Kiba shot him a dirty look for foiling yet another one of his plans to surprise the 'cool and calm' Uchiha Sasuke but Naruto ignored him. Keeping that kind of thing away from Sasuke was a job he'd given himself. Because Sasuke didn't like surprises.

Blue eyes drifted to the man walking on his right. He was looking straight ahead but turned his face to Naruto when he felt his gaze, expression quizzical. Naruto just smiled before Sasuke turned back. The blonde went on looking, his mind wandering.

Yes, it had been about a year since Sasuke had come to free him from slavery, but still there were things that took more time to heal than skinny bodies and spider bites.

Naruto made a loud noise in his throat before he reached out and skimmed his fingertips across Sasuke's shoulder. Thankfully the raven didn't flinch or shiver.

Sakura called it something to do with "post traumatic". The effects of living as a slave and experiencing what Sasuke had still carried today. It hurt to see the man still jump at loud noises, like the slam of a door or the clatter of a pan on the floor. Sasuke was also very anxious when it came to Naruto touching him unless he knew it was coming. Naruto had developed a habit of calling his name before he took the other's hand or making noises; clicking his tongue, humming- before touching places Sasuke couldn't see like the backs of his arms or his shoulders.

So Naruto couldn't let Kiba jump on the unaware Sasuke, especially from behind. Even if he was just a kid.

The only time Sasuke didn't seem as nervous about contact was in bed. Naruto assumed it was because it was just the two of them and Sasuke let himself open up a bit more. The first night they had been back together, when Naruto had come to bed to find Sasuke awake again, he'd asked, "Are we lovers? Kakashi said we're lovers and I… Well, you heard it earlier.." Naruto had felt himself blush and told him, "Lovers implies that we er… make love together."

"You kissed me. And you… you love me?"

"Yes. I love you."

"So how come…" Sasuke had looked so awkward that it made Naruto awkward too.

"Well, when I k-kissed you that time in the shower you said you 'you didn't dislike it' so I didn't really know how you truly felt…"

"Well could we-"

"Be lovers?"

"Something like that, yeah."

Since then they hadn't gone all the way but Sasuke had let Naruto touch him. Sometimes the blonde wondered if that was more because Sasuke had never been touched like that before and wasn't scared of it in the same way he was about having sex after being raped, than he actually trusted Naruto with his body. Trusted he'd make him feel good.

Not hurt him.

Sakura had said it would probably take a long time for Sasuke to be ready for everything. She'd scolded Naruto for being impatient and advised him to talk to Sasuke about it properly over trying to figure out how much he could handle through actions. However Sasuke usually wasn't that keen on talking about feelings. Especially when it involved his past.

"I'll get us some tea." Naruto blinked and found himself on the back porch sat down in a chair at a table next to Sasuke. Iruka was heading inside. Hinata was sitting in Sakura's lap and on Sasuke's knee, another boy- Sai, was drawing butterflies, leaning over to the table as Sasuke watched over his shoulder with warm eyes.

If Naruto asked him now, "why are you so happy watching Sai draw?" Sasuke would toss his head and reply with a smarmy remark probably completely off topic but later tell the blonde something like "its calming" or "it's nice to see them free to do whatever they want".

But all Naruto could gather from in the field of important things- what had happened to Sasuke that caused him to once answer "dead and gone" to the whereabouts of his parents and siblings, was pieces of Sasuke's terrified ramblings as he lay in Naruto's arms, half aware after waking from recurring nightmares.

In Naruto's mind, as he pieced together what Sasuke had told him, he saw Sasuke's older brother (the 'Niisan' Sasuke always seemed to scream) taking a young Sasuke from his bed and putting him somewhere, hiding him all trembling child body in his night shirt and shushing him with gentle yet panicked hands in his hair. Sasuke always referred to it as "he put me away. He put me away". Maybe into a cupboard somewhere as 'Niisan' tried to fend off a number of intruders who had apparently already murdered Sasuke's parents elsewhere in the house. Sasuke had never taken Naruto to see the place where he was born and raised but judging by the amount of money Sasuke had had that day and the aged yet still fancy clothing he'd retrieved (most likely his father's), the family had been pretty wealthy, making it an appealing target for bands of thieves.

Not that it really mattered that much anymore. Sasuke didn't want to share right now but maybe one day he would be. Naruto hadn't told him anything about his parents either. So for now it was fine. They were happy this way.

They finished their tea in the warm sunlight on the back porch, talking about anything and everything with Iruka. They spoke of Kakashi's next check up on the children and Iruka joked that he'd better stop beating the little brats before then (Sasuke had tensed and Naruto had taken his hand under the table, the movement of his arm obvious to warn Sasuke) and about what they were all up to these days.

Sakura was working at the surgery still and Naruto had been hired by none other than Jiraiya. The man had come to Kakashi's surgery after hearing from the guard a doctor had once been with the slave he wanted and asked if, for a little money, Naruto would work doing odd jobs for him at his place. (He really had just wanted a bit of help when he'd come looking for a slave).The blonde had easily taken the job. Despite the circumstances they had met under, Naruto really liked the guy, he had a good vibe about him and earning a little money made him feel better about both him and Sasuke relying so heavily on Sakura. It wasn't everyday which he liked and jobs ranged in length, sometimes he stayed over at Jiraiya's manor to finish things up and came home the next day, others took only a few hours and he'd go home with a handful of coins he'd put in a jar for Sakura to use as she saw fit. Naruto sneakily wondered if the old guy just liked having someone around; calling him around for every little thing. He and Jiraiya got on really well afterall.

Sasuke did a little at both of their work places. Sometimes he went along with Sakura and had become rather good as a second nurse at Kakashi's. Plus all the ladies, young and old, always swooned and came back that one visit more after asking "will you be here next week?" and hearing a smooth, polite "yes, I will, please come and visit again" from the dapper young Uchiha. Other times he accompanied Naruto and they worked together chopping wood or replacing roof tiles. Jiraiya always paid them something each and they usually had lunch at the manor on days like that. Sasuke's face always seemed to light up when the tomato sandwiches came out. Sakura didn't like tomatoes much and generally wrinkled her nose when Naruto and Sasuke did the shopping (which they still did together, always) and bought the red fruits.

When the group stood to leave, the children began to whine and complain, tugging on their hands and clothing until they promised to come back next week when they all had time to play properly. Kiba seemed most disgruntled that all the 'big kids' had done while they had been there was "look at boring old paint jobs and drink their damn tea" without any tag or rough housing. More dirty looks at Naruto who usually played with him.

"Next time, Kiddo," Naruto told him with a hand ruffling the boy's thick brown hair.

"I'll bring some cool things to play with next time, you guys don't have enough toys here," Sakura vowed to Hinata as the girl nodded shyly and tried to hide her disappointment that it was time to leave already.

"I have some better pencils than the ones you have now somewhere, I'll bring them for you," Sasuke said to Sai as the two males stood without hugging or looking sad. Both quiet and subtle body language. Naruto watched them from where he was waiting at the gate.

"That would be nice," Sai replied with a small smile that Naruto recognized as something that actually said a lot more than the thin appreciation it seemed to convey.

"See you later then."

"Bye, Sasuke."

They left to a line of waving children and Iruka and started the walk home.

Naruto took Sasuke hand again and then Sakura's too as not to have the girl feeling left out. He grinned as they walked in the sun and then spontaneously lifted both of the two hands and kissed the backs in turn.

"What?" asked Sasuke, taking a small side step in his pace to walk closer to Naruto.

"Nothing, I just… like this happy ending," he said, laughing sheepishly as he heard how silly it sounded. Sakura knocked the side of her head against his shoulder and chuckled warmly. Sasuke just squeezed his hand.

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><p><em>Thee End~<em>


	15. OMAKE

'_Day In, Day Out' omake for everyone who wondered what Sasuke was up to in the Uchiha manor and also my submission for Drabble Tuesday which I think is probably early for a lot of people but its Tuesday in my part of the world so yaa~ _

_Enjoy~_

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><p>Inside, the house smelt musty and old and for a long while Sasuke just stood in the middle of the large kitchen and living room and stared around the dark area, not bothering to walk over and open the curtains his brother had never had the chance to open himself. Dark eyes followed the line of the cracked kitchen bench top, the sight before him flashing bright and warm as he did.<p>

A woman with familiar, gentle eyes looked up from the food she was preparing in the kitchen and smiled fondly in his direction as the ghosts of two boys breezed past Sasuke's frozen form. One was already tall, his long hair tied neatly back in a low ponytail that bounced between his shoulders as he ran past, the younger of the two in eager pursuit. They came to a halt and leant over the bench, the bigger boy observing his mother peeling potatoes quietly while the smaller chattered spiritedly, still out of breath. The woman laughed, petting the child's hair before looking up again and Sasuke shivered as the echo of a man walked through him, all wide shoulders and proud, straight back. He joined his family, one hand settling atop the head of his oldest boy. Their mouths moved in silent conversation that Sasuke knew every word to.

He blinked and the scene was gone. The room returned to dust and wear and Sasuke's air rattled as he breathed it in. All the bits and pieces from the kitchen cupboards were long gone and the glass fronts smashed, leaving jagged edges. Any furniture they'd had in the living room had disappeared leaving the space empty. It was hard to believe that anyone had ever lived so comfortably here. That _he _had lived here.

A soft ache started in the young man's stomach and then slowly grew into his ribcage. Uncomfortable but not painful, not something he was even really conscious of. The same feeling he always had when someone had walked past with daffodils, his mother's favourite flower. Almost like nostalgia. Sasuke turned a full circle, scanning the room, jerky and awkward with his one crutch. This was his home. But it didn't hurt like he expected.

The memories.

The struggles of opening such heavy curtains every second morning and in the end having to be assisted by his brother anyway. That laugh that Itachi always let slip as he leaned over his little brother and pulled at the curtains from higher up while Sasuke pulled at the bottom.

The ache spread across his collar bone and into his shoulders. Weighing down a little.

Sitting atop that same kitchen bench while his mother washed lettuce and sang to him as he swung his legs over the side in time, drumming out the beat with his heels thumping against the cupboards underneath.

His father calling for more tea and Sasuke skipping alongside his mother while she brought it to him.

The memories.

They didn't hurt. _Yet._

He sighed long and unusually loud into the silence.

It didn't matter if it hurt or not. This wasn't what he was here for.

'_Naruto.'_

Blinking away Uchiha Mikoto's long swishing skirts Sasuke leant into his one crutch and made his way slowly down the hallway, passing a bathroom that reverberated with the splashing of his former self's bath time antics, playful warnings that he'd get soap in his eyes if he wasn't careful from Itachi. With some difficulty, he ignored the sudden pang in his chest, setting his teeth.

'_Ahaa… It gets worse the further I go in? From just the living room to here, it's so quick.' _

He should have expected that.

In a spare room that he and Itachi often spent time together reading books and playing games, Sasuke brought his teeth to a fist and bit down to counter the abrupt urge to vomit. His eyes stung.

'_It's nothing. I'm fine. I can do this. Even if it comes so suddenly, I'm fine.'_

He took another blow to the chest when his eyes formed a hazy vision of his brother hooding a fluffy towel over the head over a much younger, freshly bathed Sasuke in the hallway, ruffling his hair dry.

"_You'll catch a cold if you stay like that, Sasuke."_

Now it hurt. But even so.

Up the stairs one agonizingly painful step at a time. The handrail that had once been there had had pieces hacked out of it and offered no assistance. At one point, the slippery wooden foot of the crutch slipped and Sasuke nearly toppled backwards.

Near the top he had to sit down, hanging his head low and staring down between his legs, sweat dripping off the end of his nose as he sat panting, his leg throbbing in pain. In front of him, halfway down the staircase, Sasuke listened to his mind replay his father's footsteps as he headed to bed. He'd take a left at the top of the staircase and quietly open the door to Sasuke's room and then pad along to Itachi's before turning back and going right to his and Sasuke's mother's room, checking the two were asleep before turning in for the night.

When the footfalls reached where Sasuke was sitting he had to force himself to keep looking down, wanting so desperately to look up and find his father standing there- all stern but somehow fond eyes and strong, broad shoulders, but knowing he'd be disappointed.

The ache had grown up through his neck and into his jaw where his teeth were clenched tight. His stomach twisted and turned painfully and Sasuke was beginning to _feel_ the ghosts. Rather than simply walking past, paying him no mind, they were creeping up on him, wrapping arms tight around him, calling to him. He felt their pull deep in his gut. His father's footsteps walked up and down the stairs and along the top floor hall. His mother was spraying her perfume and humming from their room, His own ghost was reading a book aloud to Itachi. Sasuke supposed it was because the rooms he was close to now were more personal. They were smaller, held intimate memories more easily. His and Itachi's rooms, the wardrobes there that had been favourite hiding places. The dresser in his mother's bedroom that he'd hid in that night…

_That night._

Sasuke barely remembered it. He'd been young and sound asleep when Itachi has quickly opened his door and rushed to his bedside, bundling the blanket he'd been sleeping under around Sasuke and pulling him into his arms, whispering into his younger brother's ear.

"_Sasuke, you have to be quiet okay?"_

"_Eh, Niisan, what's going on? What's all that noise downstairs? I—"_

"_There are people in the house. Bad people. I'm going to take you and hide you, okay? Then you're going to stay there until morning."_

"_What? What about you? And Mother and Father?"_

"_Just do as I say." _

Itachi had quickly taken Sasuke's hand and together they snuck as quietly as they could across the top floor, past the top of the stairs and into their parent's room. Without hesitation, the older Uchiha pulled open the cupboard doors on his mother's dresser and ushered Sasuke inside, adjusting the other boy's night gown around him as he sat with his back pressed against the back of the cupboard and his knees to his chest.

"_Now stay here, alright? Don't you dare come out, no matter what." _

Sasuke had been crying, whimpering and wiping at his runny nose as Itachi smoothed sweaty hair off his face. In stuttering whispers, Sasuke had asked him where their parents were, what was going on, who the people were. But his brother hadn't replied, only leaning into the cupboard to press a hard kiss to Sasuke's forehead and telling him, eyes boring into Sasuke's_, "I love you, Sasuke"_ before roughly stuffing the blanket into the cupboard too and forcing the door shut. Sasuke screamed against the blanket but it was too muffled to be heard and he stopped at the sound of the room's door being thrown open and people storming into the bedroom.

"… _no matter what."_

Voices and the jingle-jangle of his mother's jewelry. Itachi telling someone that this was all they had here. That as such a noble family they would hardly keep their valuables in the house. The other voices had taken Itachi back downstairs and Sasuke had waited, wide eyes and racing heartbeat, until morning.

After that, Sasuke didn't remember much else. In the morning he'd tiptoed out into the empty house and lived in it for a while before he'd taken to the street. He didn't remember what he'd seen in the house, the only memories remaining from that time being mostly of him trying to get up onto the counter to look for food in the high cupboards and talking to himself as he got dressed, wearing the only remaining piece of his mother's jewelry- a beaded bracelet that was later stolen from him by slave takers- around his wrist.

At some point along the way, Sasuke had worked out that his parents had been murdered downstairs while he slept that night and that the men who had killed them had either taken Itachi with them or killed him too…

It was all a very long time ago now.

When Sasuke finally found the strength to stand, the pain in his leg easing off but still throbbing dully from thigh to calf, he took a right at the top of the stairway and stared into his parent's room. The door was missing but the dresser, too magnificent and heavy to be stolen away by common thieves, remained. The young man hobbled forward and looked down on the dusty top. All Mikoto's things were gone from the draws that hung open but it was still undeniably, his mother's. The Uchiha blinked slowly and his hand lifted on its own accord and reached out to trace the scratch Itachi had made as a child with the hooked end of a nail file. Dark eyes wandered the swirling pattern of the rich wood and he hummed very softly under his breath, lips fumbling words he traced the sharp corners of the draws with his eyes.

'_I wonder if they still smell like her perfume…'_

Hypnotized, the Uchiha dipped into a bend, the crutch driving into his underarm and forcing his elbow up at an odd angle. But he barely felt it. He bent, gaze fixed on the floral draw liners that were now yellow and faded. His knee began to give as he lowered closer and closer. He could hear Mikoto's humming and Sasuke felt himself sinking into her warmth as he moved through where she would have sat before dresser.

'_Mama! Look Mama! Look at me!'_

'_In a second, Sasuke, Mama is busy right now making herself pretty.'_

'_You're already plenty pretty, Mama!' _

'_Ah- Sasuke, don't touch that perfume it's very—'_

A sharp pain suddenly shot through Sasuke's bitten leg and he froze where he stood, shaken by the pain, breathing hard and fast, half lowered to the draws. His mother's warmth melted away, chilling the sweat on his skin. His ears rumbled with emotion that he swallowed down as he struggled for air. His fingers at the file marking curled to fist against his palm as he slowly closed his eyes.

'_No.'_

This wasn't why he was here.

'_Naruto. Naruto. Naruto.' _

A chant and the throb in his leg to keep him sane.

He rubbed his fingers over the smooth wood once, twice—_'Stop it'_ before, with some difficulty, he lifted his hand away and turned, beginning to pace across the room to where the window was, taking deep breaths and feeling the hold the dresser had on him loosening from around his chest.

'_Naruto. Naruto. Naruto.'_

Walking around where Fugaku and Mikoto's bed used to stand, Sasuke struggled to his knees, the flesh around his drained bite burning as he began counting out the floorboards.

"One, two, three…" Shuffling along on his knees. "Four, five, six, seven…" The eighth floorboard out from the window rested under his fingers and Sasuke breathed the last count in a whisper, licking his lips.

'_Right here… Please…' _He was sure this was it. He didn't know how he knew, perhaps Itachi had told it to him once since his father would never trust him with something like this. But this had to be it. If it wasn't, coming here, walking through the ghosts of this house, would have all been for nothing. Lifting his hand high and hoping for precision, Sasuke brought his fist down, hard and heavy on the waiting wood. Purposely thinner than the other boards, it snapped with a loud _CRACK!_ spilling splinters left and right and leaving a long hole in the flooring. Panting and nursing the edge of his hand, Sasuke steadied his breath and leaned over, peering down into the deep hole. He reached out trembling hands to dig into the gap in the flooring, clearing away the broken wood, eyes flitting back and forth over the dark opening, fingers venturing cautiously down, trying to avoid injuring his hands even more on the shattered boarding.

'_Please…'_

At first there was nothing. Just Sasuke's hand anxiously groping around in the chilly darkness.

And then something.

He leaned further in and found his knuckle brushing against something cold next to where his fingers had come to grip the coarse fabric of the opening of some kind of bag. He froze and moved his hand aside a little to see, stabbing himself in the wrist in the process but ignoring the blood beading as his heart began to race. There, in the weak stream of light pushing through a gap in the curtains, was something shiny and gold and Sasuke's heart skipped a beat of its quick rhythm and then felt like it had stopped altogether. His mouth went dry.

This was it.

He had to smash through a few more floorboards to widen the hole enough to drag the heavy bag through, wild pieces of splintering wood cutting his hands, blood staining the boards. By the end Sasuke couldn't move his pinky finger on his smashing hand, but when he was sitting back on his knees, trembling with effort, breath ragged and eyes itching with tired tears, a full to the brim bag of shiny gold coins before him, all he could say was,

"Thank God."


End file.
